


LOVE WITCH

by bisexualyoda



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Love Potion/Spell, Mild non-con, Witch!Asami, Witch!Kuvira, asami is trying to be evil, but also not really, but ive been told its good angst, but she really isn't, does this count as Slow Burn?, it gets quite angsty, korra is adorable, slowish burn, super fluffy, we all hate mako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 64,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25765294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualyoda/pseuds/bisexualyoda
Summary: After her boyfriend broke up with her for another girl, Asami attempts to get her revenge with a love potion.It doesn't go as planned.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato, Kuvira/Opal (Avatar)
Comments: 536
Kudos: 1375





	1. HOW TO MAKE A LOVE POTION

**Author's Note:**

> heyyyyyy!!!! this fic is my brain baby :) if u have come from WLF then hey:) if not, hi!!! 
> 
> pls leave comments they are literally shots of serotonin for me.
> 
> also, due to the nature of what a love potion is, this story is tagged mild non-con. obviously since love potions are not real, it's hard to draw the line of what is too far when 'under the influence' because who knows what the influence is lol, however they do not have sex when korra is cursed, so don't worry about that! that being said, if you're sensitive to that stuff, i'd recommend being mindful :)  
> 
> 
> \- yoda :)))
> 
> [my tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bisexualyoda1)

She couldn’t help but glare at the two of them.

What did _she_ have that Asami didn’t? She wasn’t as pretty as Asami. She was short, and boisterous, and worst of all, a regular old _human_. Her hair didn’t shine like Asami’s did, her face was rounder, and she was well-built like some sort of _wrestler_.

And yet, Mako had left her for that girl.

They couldn’t see or hear her, but nevertheless she resisted the urge to scream. It wasn’t fair and it made no sense to her at all. She had been so bothered by it she’d trudged after the two, all the way to this ugly noodle restaurant, just to sit and watch them eat.

Nobody had _ever_ left her. She was too good to be true. Mako wasn’t even her only boyfriend and before today, she didn’t think twice about him unless they were about to go on a date. But at that moment, he was the worst thing to ever happen to her. Worse than when she dated a goblin in high school.

“Fuck you, Mako.” She muttered, standing up and grabbing her things. Asami had class, and as much as she would have loved to sit there and cast quiet little hexes at the brand new couple all day, she wasn’t going to let her grades drop. She took one last look at the couple – the girl was feeding him some of her soup, and he was laughing too hard to swallow it down.

Asami didn’t know what she was going to do, but she was definitely going to do _something_. Magic was tingling at her fingers, and she had to press them down into her palms to avoid lighting something on fire.

She could light this new girl on fire…? But what would be the point in that? She didn’t want to hurt this girl. Chances were she’d had no idea about Asami, and as evil as Asami was (or tried to be), she wasn’t a _monster._

And lighting Mako on fire would just make her look butthurt.

No, she needed another plan.

Her class dragged. She didn’t share it with any other witches, and she wouldn’t befriend a non-magic human if there was a gun to her head. Any other species was okay to sleep with, but she kept her friends _exclusively_ to the inner coven.

That was another thing that stung about Mako. He had been a human. The only reason she’d been dating him was lack of anyone else available, and she wouldn’t be caught dead on a Friday night without a date.

She checked her phone when she got out of class, strutting to her car and ignoring the looks everyone was giving her. The looks were nothing new. After all, she was beautiful _and_ she was a witch. A witch without moles or a hooked nose or greasy hair.

Most of those ideas were honestly harmful stereotypes, but Asami defied them all anyway.

Her father had sent her a text telling her the business meeting scheduled for that evening was cancelled and she didn’t have to come into the city. The university was on the edge of the city and very close to her cottage (frankly, the only reason she’d agreed to go - that, and the new men for her to indulge with).

There were a few witches overhead on broomsticks, and Asami watched them for a moment before getting into her black SUV. She hadn’t ridden a broom since she’d got her license, and she wouldn’t be caught dead on one now. They were _so_ last millennia.

The drive home took ten minutes, and Asami got out of her car as elegantly as she could manage whilst carrying her bag full of school books, before heading inside.

Her cottage wasn’t exactly to her taste.

It was her mother’s originally, and Asami didn’t have the heart to move out, not when her mother’s magic clung to every wall, to every nook and every crevice. Sometimes being in the home made Asami forget that her mother was gone. That was really the only reason she stayed.

The building itself was made from cobblestone, but you could hardly see it through all the brambles and ivy that coated the house. Instead of a path heading up to the house, there was a set of tattered stepping stones, that Asami had adored jumping on when she was a child, although now she found them nothing but a hindrance. The front lawn was filled with flowers, making it difficult to see the house from the road, and there was an ancient fountain full of small red fish that angered Mecha off to no end.

In the back garden, which was much bigger, there was a small orchard full of apple trees and a huge vegetable patch which her mother had cultivated all those years ago. When her father was out of the city and back home, which was less and less these days, he always spent many hours meticulously keeping the vegetables in good condition. Asami hardly went around there, so it was good that he did.

Asami saw Mecha, her tiny black cat, where she often saw him, pawing at the fountain angrily.

“Come on, Mecha.” She said soothingly, picking up the sleek creature and cradling him like a baby. “You look like you need a nap.”

The cat clawed a small amount, but settled into Asami’s hold after a minute. As her familiar, he could sense when Asami wasn’t in the mood for his antics, and she _certainly_ wasn’t in the mood for them today.

She put the cat in his bed by the front door, and obediently he settled into it. Her shoes were slipped off her feet, left by Mecha in case he wanted to play with them, and she stretched her arms. Hanging her coat on the rack, she noticed the witch’s robe and hat, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

_When was she going to throw those old things out?_

Asami walked through the hallway into the kitchen. Every single part of the home was decorated for comfort instead of fashion, and the rustic kitchen was no different. There was a stove oven, wooden counters, a small dining table where she kept her catalogue of spells, and a thick woollen rug that scratched against her bare toes.

She didn’t keep a fridge, since there was no electricity, so everything had to be stored manually. That meant drawers full of fresh vegetables, bags of rice and flour stacked up, and barrels of salt filled with meat. Her mother had always taught her to keep meat fresh that way, instead of the refrigerator, to bring out the flavour. Asami was almost positive that it actually made it go off much more quickly, and that nobody had been doing that since the _Tudors_ , but she always did it nonetheless.

The first thing she made was cat food, cutting up small pieces of fish and blending it with some of Mecha’s favourite spices. She also put in his worming tablet, as well as one to deter hexes and curses. He was still recovering from the Elven flu, and she wasn’t going to risk him getting any other condition.

She served the meal in his dish, laying it next to his bed. Asami stayed until she’d watched the little cat begin to chew, before heading back to the kitchen to make her own dinner; a simple but substantial chicken salad.

As she cooked, her mind began to wander, and of course it wandered all the way back to Mako and _that girl_.

Quickly, Asami summoned her wand. She needed to do some research. She switched the oven to auto-pilot and the pots and pans clattered to life, her salad stirring itself whilst she browsed her catalogue of spells.

“Where is it….” She hummed, flicking through the pages. It would be much easier if she’d just found out the girl’s name when she was there, but she’d been a little preoccupied by her own anger.

Maybe she should just curse Mako. She knew his last name, she knew his address, it would be much easier to do it that way. But again, she didn’t want to look like she _cared_ about him, because she didn’t. It was _the principal_.

She found the spell she was looking for, one that allowed her to access her own memories.

“ _Oculus Memoria_.” She muttered, feeding her magic into her wand.

The tip glowed red for a moment, and she closed her eyes. At once, she was put back into her memory from that lunch time. She saw herself, staring daggers at the happy couple, and for a moment she had a flash of doubt.

_Was this worth it? He was just a human after all, and look at how pathetic you look, angrily watching them. It’s not very becoming…_

But then she remembered how he had humiliated her, and it wasn’t enough to just let it go.

Her attention turned to the pair, and she approached their table. Standing a little closer, Asami got a better look at her. Dark skin, chestnut hair, bright blue eyes that stood out unnaturally against her skin. She could hardly be considered pretty. _This_ is who Mako ditched her for?

The wand in her hand began to spark, sensing her anger.

She raised her wand to the girl’s head, focussing intently. Crimson lights shot from the end and connected to the girl, in between her eyebrows.

“ _Idem_. _Idem. Idem…_ ” She chanted. It was a common spell, one of the first she learnt, and casting it wasn’t difficult. Not even for Asami, who often struggled with actual spellcasting.

Letters began to float around Korra’s head. The pair at the table didn’t see Asami, and neither did the old Asami from that lunch time, everyone just carrying on their business as they usually would.

The letters began to form a pair of words. There were a few ‘R’s, and a few ‘K’s. It took Asami a few minutes for her to complete the spell, granting her the name. If she was honest with herself, it should have taken her a few seconds, but she was rusty. And also, sort of bad at magic.

Asami tilted her head, sounding out the name.

“Kor…ra… Merm…ak”.

_Korra Mermak._

Asami recognised the last name from somewhere, but she couldn’t place it. It told her everything she needed to know, though. Korra was definitely from the water tribe, meaning she wasn’t going to react well with energy-based spells. Asami would be better off using a potion.

She squeezed her wand, and at once she found herself back in her kitchen. On the counter a dish full of chicken salad was awaiting her, but her appetite was gone. She began flicking through the pages, a brand new idea occurring to her.

There _was_ a way that she could punish Mako, without having to lift a finger. And thankfully, all it required was a potion.

When she landed on the page, she couldn’t help but smirk.

 _Yes, this would be perfect_.

The ingredients list was extensive, and it would take the whole night to make, but Asami was confident she could do it. Her history with enchanting potions wasn’t _excellent_ , but how hard could a crumby love potion be?

As it turned out, it was much harder than she would have liked.

She’d taken her practically unused cauldron from the cupboard, and managed to haul it half the way to the garden before using her wand to do the rest, placing it on the logs laid out there. If there was one type of spell that Asami could do well, it was fire spells, and it didn’t take long to have everything up and running.

However, that was pretty much where the smooth sailing stopped.

It took her two hours to gather everything she needed, and another hour for it to start resembling any kind of potion.

The ingredients just weren’t combining, and the smell was _awful_. It smelled like rotting flesh, which was concerning because the catalogue mentioned how it should smell like roses a total of four times. It also said it should be baby pink in colour, almost translucent, and the same consistency of water. Asami’s rendition was a solid dark pink colour, and it was thick, gloopy, and lumpy. Kind of like if Barbie made porridge. 

“Fuck…” She hissed, leaving the cauldron on the fire. She’d just have to let it brew, and hope for the best.

Asami narrowed her eyes, trying to work out where she’d gone wrong. Deep down, she knew her magic just wasn’t up to scratch, but she could never admit that.

After about an hour of brewing, the potion became volatile, spewing hot bubbles of pink gloop all over the garden. Asami tried her very hardest to press the lid to the top of the pot, but it was _fighting_ against her hands, desperately trying to break free.

“Asami?”

She turned her head to see her father. He was looking at her with moderate concern, and she smiled at him gingerly.

“Hey dad.” She said. “Can you, uh, lend me a hand?”

Hiroshi waddled over, pressing his hands against the lid and keeping it there. He was much stronger than Asami, so she let up a little bit. It took about ten minutes for the potion to calm down, and at last when the two of them were sure it wasn’t a safety hazard, they let the cauldron lid go, placing it on the ground.

“So,” Hiroshi began. “I see you’re making a potion.”

“Yeah.” Asami nodded. _Way to point out the obvious._

“It’s been years since anyone used this pot.” He hummed, kicking the cauldron lightly and peering into the mixture. The colour had dulled a little, and Asami was pretty sure it had become a little runnier, which was a good sign. “I haven’t seen it out here in… Oh, seventeen years now.”

What he really meant was, ‘ _Since your mother died’_.

“I’m not a big brewer.” Asami said dryly. The smell in the air was better now as well. It was a far cry from roses, but it definitely wasn’t corpses either.

Hiroshi leant back on the balls of his feet, whistling awkwardly. The two of them weren’t the best at communication. Asami patiently waited for him to go back inside, since she couldn’t just leave the cauldron unattended, but he seemed adamant on making conversation today.

“I’ll be sleeping here tonight.” He said cheerily. “I think my secretary was getting tired of me sleeping in the office.”

“She probably didn’t care.” Asami said flatly.

A flash of hurt crossed her father’s face, but it didn’t concern his daughter in the least.

“What are you making, anyway?” He asked, changing the subject. Asami’s father tried to avoid confrontation with her as much as possible. Part of Asami thought that he _feared_ her a little bit. Especially since as soon as he dies, she’d become the CEO of Future Industries. A title that Asami was very much looking forward to.

“Love potion.” She informed him.

“Ah.” He said, a fondness crossing his features. “Similar to a fortune potion, right? Your mother used to make these all the time. Before you were born, of course.”

Asami stiffened at the mention of her mother. All she manged to reply with, was “Oh?”

“Mhm.” He let out a long sigh. “Your mother would spend hours out here, days sometimes, trying to make something or other. I used to watch from that tree over there,” He pointed to the nearby oak with the makeshift swing (a tyre tied to a branch with a line of rope). “And one day, she was putting in all sorts of things. Brown liquids, potatoes, carrots. So I asked her what she was doing after maybe an hour or so, because the potion smelt delicious and I wanted to know what it was meant to do. And she told me…” He broke out into a grin. “That she was just making dinner, and it would be ready in a few minutes.”

Asami couldn’t help but smile at that story. It sounded just like her mother.

“Is it meant to look like that?” Hiroshi asked, pointing into the cauldron.

A large black heart had appeared at the surface of the cauldron. It looked to be made of froth, and the bubbles started to burst one by one.

Asami skimmed the last few steps in the book. “I think that means it’s done…” She said.

The book actually stated that a red heart should appear, and drift off upwards, out of the potion. There was no mention of a bubbly black heart, so this had to be Asami’s messed up version of the red one. She took out a vial from her pocket, and scooped it through the liquid.

“Is that enough?” He asked.

“Plenty.” She replied, putting it into her bag. Then, she took out her wand and cast it at the cauldron, telling it to get itself washed up and back into the cupboard. Thankfully, it did as it was told, and soon enough Hiroshi had bumbled off to get ready for bed, and Asami had found herself in her room, stroking Mecha.

He purred in her hand, chewing on her finger. His little fangs weren’t sharp enough to hurt her, and the tickle made her smile.

“Are you ready for bed?” She asked, and the cat looked at her blankly.

Some witches could speak to their familiars, but Asami was nowhere near that good at magic. She was a little embarrassed actually, since her mother had been one of _The Great Ones_ of the modern coven, and Asami was... Well, she certainly wasn’t _great_ at anything.

All Asami had ever been good at were forbidden spells, and those were forbidden for a reason. She had a knack for fire spells though, which was a salvageable skill at least. Not that any of that mattered, since her life was already laid out for her, and it didn’t have anything to do with her being a witch.

She was to head her father’s company, live in a huge mansion, and die peacefully with Mecha in her arms, without a care in the world.

*

“No, dad, I’m not…” Korra rolled her eyes, as her father started up again. “Yes, I’m fine. Classes are fine. Everything is _fine_.”

Bolin and Opal watched with anxious eyes from their raggedy couch, whilst Korra engaged in a heated discussion with her father. He’d been ranting and raving for twenty minutes straight, and Korra really just wanted to watch a mover with her friends.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Her father asked. His voice was loud and booming and Korra was pretty sure her friends could hear her. “Boy or girl, you know I don’t care. But I have to meet them, Korra. Do you hear that?”

Korra gulped, her stomach sinking. Her and Mako had only _just_ started seeing each other, and as great as it was going, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell her dad. Plus, she wasn’t sure if Mako was ready to meet her parents.

Actually, she was pretty sure he wasn’t.

“I am seeing someone.” Korra wasn’t going to lie to her father. If she did and she got _caught_ , it would be straight back to the South Pole for her. “But it’s super new and we’re not really official yet.”

Her father grunted. “I never got all of that malarkey. The moment I saw your mother, it was like I’d drank a love potion.” Korra heard him click his fingers. “I married her by the end of the month.”

Korra sighed. “Not everyone gets the perfect love story.”

“Well, you of all people deserve one.” Her father replied.

Korra held in a second sigh.

Her parents had always been… overbearing, whilst simultaneously being convinced that she could do no wrong.

It didn’t help that she was technically royalty, because it meant that whenever she acted out, even as a child, she would never get reprimanded. Her report cards were immaculate, despite the fact that she acted out in every class and couldn’t answer a math question to save her life. She’d sneak out of the castle all the time as well, but the guards never told her parents.

By the time she’d finished high school, with a GPA that was nothing short of _lies_ , she’d just wanted to leave. Republic City had been the dream, and after months and months of begging, her father had finally let her go, on the condition that she paid for her own living.

Korra supposed that was fair, since her parent’s had always planned for her to stay home whilst studying at SWTU, down in the South Pole.

“Thanks, dad.” She decided to say. “But I’ve really got to go. I told my friends I’d watch a mover with them.”

“Which frien-“

But Korra hung up before he could finish asking his question.

Opal and Bolin were staring at her, concern in both their eyes.

“Don’t worry about it.” Korra waved them off. “That’s just my dad being my dad.”

“It’s nice that he cares.” Opal said, moving over to make room for Korra on the couch. “My mum barely calls me at all.”

“That’s probably because you’re a history major.” Bolin piped up. “And not even an Earth Kingdom history major. You’re doing _Air Nation_ history. I don’t think I’d talk to my daughter if she chose to study that.”

“Guys, can we not get into this fight again.” Korra moaned, but it was already too late.

“Air Nation history is what _interests_ me, Bolin.” Opal said snippily. “At least I can choose one interest. How many times have you switched majors?”

“What kind of job are you going to get when you graduate? Or, is your plan to become a monk?”

Korra closed her eyes, willing it to stop. These two fought none stop over the smallest of things. If they hadn’t been best friends since high school, Korra would be convinced they hated each other.

“Oh, _sorry,_ Mr. I’m-majoring-in-movers. I forgot that you’re oversubscribed degree is _crawling_ with job opportunities at the end of it!” She leant over Korra, and nipped Bolin’s arm.

He let out a yelp of pain. “At least I’m not in a book club!” He snapped, leaning over and pulling her hair.

“At least my best friend isn’t my brother!”

“At least I _have_ a girlfriend!”

“I would hardly call humping a witch, having a girlfriend.” Opal snapped.

Korra let out a long groan. “Can we _please_ just watch the mover?”

The two relented, sinking back into their seats. They both mumbled affirmatives.

“Say sorry to each other as well.” Korra mediated, recognising that if they didn’t, the next three hours would become insufferable.

“Sorry Bo.” Opal said quietly.

“Sorry Opal.” Bolin said back. The two looked up at each other and broke out into huge grins. “Okay! Let’s watch the mover now.”

Opal picked up the box from their withered coffee table. Their apartment was furnished exclusively from furniture they found on the street, and the coffee table was no exception. They barely made rent each month, no matter how many hours any of them picked up.

“This looks sort of boring…” She sniffed, turning over the box and reading the description. Bolin flicked the film on with the remote, and Korra sunk into their slightly uncomfortable couch. “Bolin! It’s a docu-mover. Why would you pick this?”

“It’s informative!” Bolin argued. “It’s about the coven, and how The Great Ones brought peace to the world, after the one hundred year war.”

“Sounds boring.”

“ _Please_ don’t fight again.” Korra whined. “Let’s just watch the stupid docu-mover.”

As much as Korra would have liked to side with Bolin, Opal was right. It _was_ boring. It lightly brushed over how the original witches had ended the war against the fire demons – the _cool_ part of history, and instead focused on how the generation afterwards dealt with dealing peace.

Faces of The Great Ones flickered onto the screen. Only one was still alive – Kya – who Korra actually knew quite well. She often dined with them, back in the South pole.

“She’s pretty.” Bolin said, when Yasuko’s face appeared on the screen.

And she _was_ pretty. Korra had always thought so. Bright green eyes, long black hair, pale skin. She was easily the prettiest witch that Korra had ever seen.

“Be careful.” Opal teased. “You don’t want Eska hearing you say that.”

Bolin didn’t laugh along – he actually gave Opal a look of pure fear, which ended up making Korra burst out laughing.

“You’re crazy for dating a witch.” Korra told Bolin. Witches were viewed differently in the city than they were in the South, but it was still unconventional for different species to date, even here.

In fact, Korra was sure the only witch she’d ever known was Kya, and even she was treated with some caution. The majority of them came from the West, apparently, and most of them really _did_ look like the witches from story books. Black or grey hair, long noses, moles and warts, all of it.

Bolin shrugged his shoulders. “It’s kind of fun, actually. I got to ride her broom, once.”

“With her brother on the back.” Opal corrected, turning her attention back to the docu-mover.

“Whatever.”

The docu-mover went on for way longer than it had to, and by the time it had finished, all three of them were exhausted. Korra trod into her room, slamming the door behind her. She noticed that she had a message from Mako, and she felt herself pinken.

Just the thought of his stupid shark-brows made her smile.

**Mako <3**

sup ; )

Hey!!

coffee tmrw? before class?

Sounds good : )

8 @ Varrick’s?

Sure. c u there.

Korra, happy with that message, put her phone on charge and got ready for bed.

They met outside Varrick’s beanhouse the next day. Mako was wearing a thick black coat and his usual red scarf, so it was pretty easy to spot him considering it was the middle of May.

“Hey!” She grinned, running over to him.

He smiled down at her, before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

“So, coffee?” She said with a smile, once their lips had parted.

“Coffee.” He agreed.

The two looked at the coffee shop for a second. It was a familiar place to the pair – their first date had been here, as well as pretty much every time they’d hung out before that point. Since Mako was Bolin’s older brother, Korra had always thought her little crush on him was taboo.

But Bolin hadn’t minded, and Mako _definitely_ hadn’t minded, and everything was good and happy in Korra’s dating life.

“I’ll order the coffees.” Korra said. “Do you want to wait out here? It’s my turn to pay after all.”

Mako agreed reluctantly, telling Korra his coffee order. She turned her nose up at his request for just black coffee. No milk, no sugar, just _plain old black coffee_.

“You’re gross.” She said teasingly, before entering the coffee house.

She expected to be greeted by Zhu-Li, but apparently they had someone new working there. A pretty girl with shiny black hair was at the counter, cleaning tenuously at the surface. She didn’t look to be having a good time, grumbling something or other about being made to work a minimum-wage job.

Korra watched for a moment, pretty amused at the sight. She could tell the girl came from money. An expensive necklace hung around her neck, as well earrings, and underneath the girl’s apron was a very fashionable array of designer clothes.

The girl looked up, and her eyes met Korra’s. They were _dazzlingly_ green, and Korra almost forgot completely about her date with Mako.

“Can I take your order?” The girl asked politely.

Korra gulped. “You… You may.”

The girl continued to stare at Korra, and at last, Korra realised what the social situation was calling for.

“Oh! A latte and a black coffee please.” Korra said.

“Just black? No cream? No sugar?” She asked.

Korra laughed pleasantly. “That’s what I said! And no, thank you. My boyfriend just wants plain black coffee.”

The woman gave her an obviously forced smile, but Korra ignored it. It must be hard working this early in the morning. She was lucky since the bowling alley only required her in the evenings, so she got to sleep in every day. Korra was _not_ a morning person, so that was probably for the best.

After a minute or so, Korra was presented with the two drinks.

Scrawled on one was her name, and on the other was Mako’s. Korra didn’t remember giving her name to the barista, but she must have, so she thanked her and went on her way.

“That mine?” Mako asked, once Korra had left the shop.

“Well, it _does_ have your name on it.” She said happily, handing him the beverage.

He took a sip and smiled. “Yup. Plain black coffee. This really hits the spot.”

“You’re so gross.” Korra laughed, before bringing her own cup to her mouth and having a taste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dis my new story:) i'm currently thinking updates Monday :)


	2. HOW TO GET REVENGE ON YOUR EX

Asami squinted, leaning over the counter and trying to make catch Korra drink her coffee.

This was becoming a lot more effort than it was worth. She’d had to knock out a cutesy waitress and stuff her in the back, wear an _apron_ , and actually make coffees for strangers all morning, just so she could do this. It was below her status.

That morning it was warmer in the coffee shop then it was on the street, so the windows were completely steamed up, making Asami’s job incredibly difficult. She couldn’t see Korra at all – just two lumbering silhouettes, stood outside.

There was also a strong possibility that her dodgy love potion wasn’t going to work. She’d done a little research before going to bed, to figure out if anyone’s love potions ever had disastrous effects. The worst thing that had ever happened to someone was that their heart had exploded in their chest, but most witches figured that that was an anomaly. Hopefully Korra’s heart wouldn’t explode.

She almost breathed a sigh of relief when Korra came back through the sliding doors. Asami recognised the affects of the love potion immediately – flushed skin, relaxed body language, wide dilated eyes.

“Do you need something else?” Asami asked innocently, biting back her smirk.

“Yeah, I do.” Korra grinned, showing off a set of incredibly white teeth. “I was hoping I could get your number.”

Asami had to try a little harder to suppress her smile.

The magic of the love spell only worked if Korra didn’t know she was under a love spell, and Asami couldn’t give it away. Plus, breaking a spell before the magic wore off independently would drain Asami’s magic exponentially, and would probably put Korra into a coma. Love potions only lasted a week, so Asami should be fine.

“But, wasn’t that your boyfriend?” Asami asked, cocking her head. She tried to make her voice syrupy and sweet, despite there being absolutely no need for it. Korra was hers, at least for now.

Korra turned back to where Mako was, her facial features becoming void of feeling. “He was, but not anymore.”

Now Asami wished she’d had Korra drink it in front of her, so she could have seen Mako’s face when Korra dumped him out of the blue.

In this case, revenge had been a drink best served hot.

“So…” Korra continued cockily, leaning her elbow on the counter and giving Asami finger guns. Asami realised she was being _flirted_ with. She’d never flirted with a girl before. It felt pretty similar to being flirted with by a boy, actually.

“So.” Asami smiled, hiding her second-hand embarrassment regarding the finger guns.

“I’m going to take you out on a date.” Korra said it like it was a realisation.

“…You are?” Asami half-laughed.

“I am.” Korra nodded. “This Friday.”

Her blue eyes looked particularly blue that morning. Asami wondered if they changed shades like hers did. Some nights hers were so dark they were more black than green. That was a witch thing, though. Human eyes don’t change colour.

“Hand me your cup.” Asami gestured to the cup in Korra’s hand.

Eagerly, Korra handed Asami the cup. She didn’t question why Asami wanted it – although she probably _couldn’t_. Love potions were very effective ways to keep slaves, although that practise was widely frowned upon in the coven.

Asami scrawled her number on it, handing it back to Korra.

“Friday night, then?” She said with a coy smile.

Korra’s grin broadened, spreading from ear to ear. “I can’t wait.”

The shorter girl looked at the cup, her cheeks pinkening, before looking back at up at Asami. She winked at her playfully, before waving goodbye and leaving the coffee shop. Asami rolled her eyes as soon as the girl had gone.

 _At least that was over with_.

She headed back through the shop, to where she’d left the woman tied up. Despite being there for over an hour, she was still thrashing and screaming against the gag.

“Humans are so dramatic.” Asami said, mildly annoyed at the sight. She picked up the woman’s round glasses and placed them on the her nose. “There you go.” She said with a sarcastic smile.

Asami summoned her wand, pressing it to the binds she’d tied the woman with and casting a silencing spell. Then, she untied her. The woman stared defiantly at Asami, but the spell prevented her from speaking.

“I covered your morning shift.” Asami said cheerily, handing her the apron. “You’re welcome.”

Before the woman had any real chance to react, Asami had already stood up and left through the back door. She’d parked her SUV in the alley, and soon enough she was cruising her way back home.

Her phone buzzed on the journey, but she didn’t check it till she was back in the safety of her bedroom, Mecha curled delightfully on her lap, purring feverishly.

She smirked when she saw it was from Mako.

**Boyfriend 4**

Hey asami. Can we talk?

I miss you.

“Asshole.” She muttered, putting her phone down on her side. She’d reply to him tomorrow, after she made him sweat a little bit. If she was especially lucky – which she always was – he’d probably double text her.

Sure enough, a few minutes later another text came through. Asami saw the name on her screen and smiled a little wider. It felt good getting what she wanted.

*

Korra fastened her tie for the sixth time, groaning when it didn’t look right _again_.

“How the hell do you do one of these?” She snapped.

“Beats me.” Opal shrugged, leaning back to lay down on Korra’s bed.

They were hauled up in her small bedroom, and Korra was getting ready for her date with… Well, she didn’t know her name, but it would probably come up at some point that evening. And Korra was _excited_. She’d never been this excited for a first date, not even on her first date with Mako.

Then again, she’d never felt so strongly about a stranger before. She’d just been talking with Mako outside that coffee shop, and out of nowhere it had hit her. That barista had been her soulmate! She’d ran back in and secured the date, and since then Korra had been a ball of excitement.

“Bolin might be able to help you…” Opal chimed.

Korra sent her friend a glare. “You know I _can’t_.”

“I know you dumped his brother for no reason, to ask out a girl at a coffee shop ten seconds later.” Opal sat up, staring intently at Korra. “What I don’t know is _why._ ”

Korra didn’t understand what there wasn’t to understand.

Sure, if that girl hadn’t been electrifying in every way imaginable, maybe Korra’s actions would have been inconsiderate and harsh, and truthfully she understood why Bolin was upset. But they hadn’t _seen_ her. They didn’t know that the Coffee Girl was _perfect_.

“I already told you why.”

“Korra, I love you, but this random barista isn’t the daughter of Aphrodite.” Opal said irritably. Korra knew she was annoying her friends with this date, but she knew that this girl was worth it. She could _feel_ it, as though part of the girl was pumping through her veins.

“Just meet her first.” Korra settled on saying.

She hated fighting with her friends, and Bolin was already ignoring her.

Opal let out a long and weary sigh. “You know what? Okay, Korra. I’ll meet her. Is she coming to pick you up?”

Korra looked at Opal, aghast.

“I’m picking her up. _Obviously_.”

For some reason, that answer seemed to annoy Opal even further. She sat up on the bed, eyebrows drawn, and slumped her shoulders.

“I’m going to go talk to Bolin.” She mumbled, standing up.

Korra watched her friend traipse through her room and leave. She heard her knock on Bolin’s door, and enter his bedroom. Soft rumblings of a conversation could be heard, but Korra tuned them out, turning back to her bowtie.

Eventually, she pulled the whole thing off and left it on the side. Just a shirt was fine, and she didn’t want to look dorky.

She texted the Coffee Girl, asking for her address, which Korra was sent promptly. The mere thought that she was _waiting_ for Korra’s text filled her chest with so much warmth it was unimaginable. At the back of her mind, a little voice told her that it wasn’t reasonable to feel so happy after less than a week of knowing someone, after interacting twice, but she pushed that thought down.

Love wasn’t meant to be reasonable.

She pulled on her shoes before leaving her room, then made her way out of the apartment. On the way, she listened to what Bolin and Opal were saying. Bolin and Mako were close, and Mako had been _pretty_ upset. She understood why – things had become a little tense between them, but nothing could stop her from going to see Coffee Girl.

 _Nothing_.

Pushing open her door, she made her way out of her apartment building and down the street. Her satomobile was parked around the corner, but first she wanted to pick up some flowers.

The flower shop was still open, luckily, and Korra made her way inside, inspecting the rows and rows of flowers. Korra didn’t really know much about flowers, and she hoped Coffee Girl wouldn’t either.

“What can I help you with?” Asked the clerk. She was a young woman with red hair and wrinkles around her eyes. She began peeling off her green gloves, smiling at Korra.

“Oh, uh…” Korra looked around. “I’m going on a date, so…”

“Gotcha.” The woman smiled warmly. “And the lucky person is a…?”

“A…?”

Was this woman asking if Korra was gay?

“What species, dearie.” She laughed.

“Oh.”

“If they’re a human, roses of course. But goblins prefer something a little more forest-like, so I suggest daisies. Lavender for elves, obviously, and if they’re a witch I’d try to go for something with a magical property, like snapdragons.”

Korra stared blankly at the clerk. She didn’t even know this girl’s name, let alone her species.

“I’m not sure.” Korra admitted. “I met her a couple of days ago, so she could really be anything. She’s not a goblin, though. And she’s probably not an elf since she’s taller than me…”

_Could she be a witch?_

She hadn’t even considered that prospect.

The thought of dating a witch had been inconceivable to Korra before, but if Coffee Girl was a witch then she realised she’d have no problems with it at all. That must be proof of Korra’s adoration, right?

“Okay, I think I can make you a bouquet that might be suitable for a human, _or_ a witch. How does that sound?”

Korra rummaged in her pocket for her wallet. “Perfect.” She said quickly, taking out the wallet and pulling out a hefty amount of yuans. She placed them on the counter, the woman counted them quickly, and then got to work. After ten minutes, the flowers were ready, and Korra waved the woman goodbye before heading to her satomobile, around the corner.

To be honest, Korra hated driving. There was something about being behind the wheel that made her incredibly stressed, like she had no control at all. It was probably because she _didn’t_ have any control, being as terrible a driver as she was, and the streets of Republic City were fast and unyielding.

Back home, the streets were much quieter and everyone drove much slower, and she could use Naga, without arousing much commotion. When she’d got to the city and met Bolin, he’d offered to teach her how to drive, but it turned out he wasn’t much better than Korra.

It was a miracle she got to Asami’s place at all. She’d had to make some sharp corners, resulting in lots of beeps from fellow drivers, and even one person cussing her out loudly. There had also been a narrow scrape, in which she’d almost sent a cyclist to hospital.

But hey! She’d arrived.

The house wasn’t what Korra had expected. She’d figured that the girl either lived in a crappy apartment, and had just moved out of her parents place, since she’d been working a minimum wage job but been wearing all those jewels, or that she still lived with her parents in a huge house.

What she hadn’t been expecting was a jaunty and rustic-looking cottage, fit with a running fountain and a smoking chimney. The building was far from small, but it had a cosy look to it. Korra raised her eyebrows. Maybe Coffee Girl wasn’t just a spoilt rich girl after all.

She jumped from stepping stone to stepping stone in delight, bounding her way up to the front door. When she arrived, Korra only had to knock once before the door slid open.

Coffee girl stood, wearing a shoulderless red dress, smiling elegantly at Korra.

All at once, Korra’s mouth dried and her eyes boggled. Her heart began to race, and her palms began to sweat, and she suddenly felt like an idiot for not wearing the tie.

She was lucky that Coffee Girl spoke first, because Korra would have had no idea what to say.

“I like your suit.” She said, and Korra’s heart _soared_. “You look very dashing.”

“Uh, thanks.” She mumbled shyly. “I like your house.” She added.

The girl sniffed, running her hand down her entranceway. “You do, do you? Well…” She trailed off. Her eyes fixed on the wall next to her. Korra shuffled on her feet, which seemed to awaken the Coffee Girl from her trance. She turned to Korra and smiled, “Shall we go then?”

Korra agreed, holding out her hand graciously for the girl. She took it, with a small smile, before Korra led her out to her satomobile.

“This is your car…?” She asked, her eyes widening. Korra wasn’t sure what her reaction was implying. Sure, Korra’s car wasn’t a sports car, more like a mid-range convertible, but she’d saved a lot of money for the satomobile and she was eminently proud of it.

“Sure is.” She said, opening the passenger door and allowing the coffee girl to enter. Korra didn’t miss the way she turned her nose up at the worn seats, but for some reason it didn’t annoy Korra at all. Not even a little bit.

Korra took her seat in front of the wheel, and the satomobile roared to life. She’d made a reservation at a nice restaurant, but the Coffee Girl loved closer to her than she’d expected so they had plenty of time to get there. Which also meant she could focus on not driving into anything fatal, and Korra was grateful for that.

She pulled off the sidewalk with a clunk, and drove down the road.

“By the way,” Korra began. “I don’t know your name. I’ve just got you saved in my phone as Coffee Girl.”

It was easier to talk to her when Korra wasn’t looking at her. When she looked at her, it was as if her body went into _overdrive_.

“Asami Sato.” The girl said plainly.

Korra almost missed her corner, and she pulled around dangerously quickly, swerving the vehicle. Asami let out a little shriek of alarm, which was _adorable_ , and Korra began ploughing down the road.

“That’s a pretty name.” Korra said. And it was. She’d never heard anything as glorious as ‘Asami’. The way Asami had said it was like honey to her ears. “Sato kind of sounds like Satomobile.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Asami said sarcastically, not looking at Korra.

Korra had a burning desire to impress Asami, and she didn’t know why. She usually had a little bit more self-respect. It felt as though a part of her would be missing until she heard the girl laugh, and she began brainstorming ways to hear it. Asami looked thoroughly _bored_ , and she wasn’t saying anything at all, only gasping when Korra made a risky driving decision.

“Why did the chicken cross the road?” Korra asked.

Asami didn’t even look at her from out of the window.

“To get to the other side.” Korra finishing, chuckling to herself.

Her date didn’t laugh at all. She made no reaction, which just fuelled Korra to try a little harder.

“What did the chicken say when she laid a square egg?”

Again, no response.

“Ouch!”

Asami’s mouth twitched, in the reflection of the passenger window, and even though it was the tiniest thing, it filled Korra with an intense amount of adrenaline.

“What is a chicken’s least favourite day of the week?”

Korra was _sure_ she saw Asami tilt her head.

“Fry-day!” Korra laughed loudly herself this time – that one _really_ did it for her. Asami’s upper lip turned upwards, but abruptly she turned to Korra, pulling her lips into a frown.

“Do you know anything else, other than chicken jokes?” She asked unkindly.

Korra didn’t take it as unkindly though, because she’d made _Asami Sato_ speak.

“Not really.” She admitted, pulling into the highway with a little too much haste, and causing several people to beep their horns.

“Okay, that’s it!” Asami cried. “Pull over.”

Korra’s first instinct was to ask why, but a much greater and much more powerful instinct took over, obeying Asami instantly. She pulled into the hard shoulder, stopping the car all at once, sending both her and Asami flying forwards.

“I’m driving this hunk of junk.” She said irritably. “Come sit where I’m sitting.” She got out of the car, and Korra scooched over into the passenger seat.

Asami got in, and her hands reflexively grabbed the wheel. Under normal circumstances, Korra might have been embarrassed, but the way Asami was gripping the steering wheel, her hand wrapped tightly around the clutch, was making Korra’s stomach do front-flips.

“You’re a terrible driver.” Asami informed her, before pulling out onto the highway and driving steadily along. Unlike Korra, Asami was a natural, keeping up with the flow of traffic effortlessly, and gently pulling out when the navigation device told her to.

“I’m meant to be driving you…” Korra mumbled sadly, and Asami let out a long sigh.

“It doesn’t matter to me.” She said. “I like to drive.”

“You do?” Korra asked excitedly, exhilarated to learn anything she could about Asami.

Asami turned to her for a split-second, her mouth in a thin line and her eyes searching Korra’s features.

“I do.”

Korra was happy with that response, and leaned back into her seat with a smile. It wasn’t often that she wasn’t at the wheel in this car and she took advantage of it, watching as they drove past other cars and trees and pedestrians.

They arrived at the restaurant, and were promptly seated at one of the nicer seats in the restaurant. Asami looked to be pleasantly impressed, and Korra was glad – and not just because she’d blown an entire month of wages on this reservation.

They ordered their food and chatted mildly. Asami had an allure about her, aside from all the feelings brewing in Korra’s chest, that made her a little hard to talk to. It seemed like she was always sizing everything up, deeming whether or not it was worthy of her. That made her cottage even more peculiar, but Korra didn’t dwell on that thought.

Once they’d finished eating, Korra had planned a long walk alongside the canal. It was dark out, and the moonlight would make it all the more pleasant, and when she presented her idea to Asami, the girl said that it would suffice. She pulled out her phone, sending a quick message – probably work, or something – before Korra paid and the two walked out of the restaurant.

Hand in hand with Asami, Korra felt like she was in the right place. Her heart was beating as though she were running a marathon, and Korra was just _praying_ that her hands weren’t too sweaty and gross. Asami didn’t mind though, if they were.

They walked for about thirty minutes, before Asami came to an abrupt halt.

“What’s wrong?” Korra asked.

Asami looked nervous.

“It’s… It’s my ex-boyfriend.” She muttered.

Korra peered ahead, trying to spot someone through the fog. She hadn’t really been paying attention to anything but the feeling of Asami at her side, but sure enough, there was a figure in front of them.

He was tall, with dark hair, but his back was turned. Turtleducks were scattered around him, and she watched as he tore off a piece of bread from a loaf and threw it into the river for the birds.

The man turned around, his eyes locking with Korra and Asami.

Korra blinked.

“Mako?” She called, surprised.

“You know him?” Asami asked, turning to Korra.

Asami had met Mako, hadn’t she? No… He stayed outside of the restaurant. She wouldn’t know that her boyfriend was _him_.

So, they shared an ex.

That didn’t really bother Korra – her and Mako had only dated for two weeks. If anything, this just proved that Asami had great taste.

Mako approached the couple, a confused look on his features. For a split-second, Korra thought he looked quite handsome, but as soon as her brain processed that information, and almighty _surge_ overcame her, and she was back to thinking of Asami’s soft hand pressed into hers.

“Hey, Asami…” Mako’s eyes turned to Korra. He looked hurt. “What are you two… doing together?”

“Oh,” Asami smiled at him coldly. “We’re on a date.”

Just Asami saying those words made Korra’s brain go _haywire_.

“You… You are?” Mako asked, his eyebrows pulling together. “I… Korra, this is…?”

Korra rubbed the back of her neck nervously, her other hand still clinging desperately to Asami’s. The idea of letting it go physically _hurt_ her.

Not that that was a risk. Asami pulled Korra closer to her, their shoulders brushing, and smiled widely at Mako.

“Not upset are you, Mako?” She drawled, her eyes gleaming.

Mako wasn’t even paying attention to her.

“ _She_ is who you broke up with me for?” Mako demanded.

“I… Uh…” Korra stammered, unsure of what to say.

Asami was looking at Mako with annoyance, but Mako wasn’t paying her a blind bit of notice.

“She’s _crazy_ , Korra.” Mako said at once, his eyes flaring to life. “Like, insane. You know she’s a witch, right? And _evil_. She just wants to sleep with you, I promise. There’s nothing else going on inside her shallow, empty head.”

Korra’s body seemed to take over. She stepped forward, and _growled_ at Mako. He stepped back, shocked.

“Don’t talk about her like that.” She snarled.

Asami squeezed Korra’s hand, and her body relaxed.

“I know you’re actually jealous, Mako.” Asami said searchingly. “Don’t try and pretend you’re not. It’s not very becoming.”

Mako scoffed at her. “No offence, Asami, but you’re the only person on this side of the planet that cares about what’s _becoming_. And if I’m jealous of anyone, it’s you.” He turned to Korra. “Call me, when you see sense. We had something special, Korra.”

Korra’s eyes narrowed. “I have something more special, now.”

Mako paused, eyeing Asami and then Korra.

“You’re not acting like yourself.” He said.

Asami stepped forward. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do.” Mako laughed dryly. “I’ve known Korra for years. You’ve known her for what… a week?”

The look in Asami’s eyes was nothing but anger. She didn’t seem to be angry at Mako, though. It was almost like frustration. Asami looked towards Mako, then to Korra, then back to Mako.

Finally, she grabbed Korra’s arm and pulled the girl even closer to her. She reached up to Korra’s face, and before Korra could even process what was happening, Asami was kissing her.

 _It was electric_.

Korra let out a soft moan at the touch, and she didn’t even care if Mako heard her. Her hands found Asami’s back, her nails digging in slightly to the soft skin there. She tasted like… Korra wasn’t sure. She’d never tasted anything like it and it was delicious, but when she tried to deepen the kiss Asami pulled back.

Mako rolled his eyes at Asami.

“Whatever.” He grumbled. “Bye, Korra.”

He walked away, his walk even more angst-ridden than usual.

Asami let out a long sigh.

“Well, Korra.” She said, once Mako was gone. “That was… Not what I expected.”

“What were you expecting?” Korra asked, tilting her head. Was Asami talking about the kiss?

“It was nice knowing you.” She said, and at once Korra’s heart began to _shatter._ “But, I’ve got to head home. Don’t text me.”

Asami strutted off in the opposite direction to where Mako had gone. For a second, Korra just stared at the place Asami had been.

_Did she just get dumped?_

Her heart was aching like it had never ached before, and Korra clutched her chest. Pain ripped from the left side of the body all the way through to her chest.

_More importantly, was she having a heart attack?_

She slumped to her knees. It felt as though her heart was trying to rip itself out of her chest and follow Asami. The pain was _excruciating_ , and it hadn’t been there a second ago. There hadn’t been a trace of it a second ago. Her face hit the hard concrete beneath her, but before she could let out a cry, her world turned black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bling blong bloong :) korra DIES 
> 
> jokes


	3. HOW TO BRAID A HUMAN'S HAIR

Asami woke up to somebody knocking on her bedroom door. She let out a groan. It was Sunday, and she’d had nothing planned for once, so she was very much looking forward to lying in.

“Asami…” Her father said, gently opening the door.

“ _What do you want?_ ” She hissed angrily.

Couldn’t he see that she was _busy?_

“Oh, it’s just that there’s somebody at the door for you.” He was speaking in a hushed tone, as if he hadn’t already woken Asami up.

“Who?” Asami asked.

“I don’t know her.”

“What does she look like?”

It was probably Kuvira. Asami couldn’t think of anyone else who’d have the nerve to come visit her, first thing on a Sunday morning. This was easily her most irritable time of the week, and anybody who knew her knew that. At least today she wasn’t hungover. 

“She looks to be water tribe.” Hiroshi told her. “Big blue eyes.”

…Not Kuvira then.

“Korra?” Asami asked, getting out of bed. “What the fuck…?”

She’d broken up with Korra. And even if that wasn’t the case, a kiss was meant to break a love potion. What was she doing here?

“I didn’t catch her name.” Her father said, ignoring her profanity.

“Tell her I’ll be down in a minute.” Asami said, walking over to her wardrobe. Hiroshi nodded and closed the door behind him. She heard his clumsy steps as he went down the stairs, tripping on that second step which he _always_ tripped on.

Asami wasn’t sure why Korra was here, but chances were, it was to do with the love spell. She’d given Korra the potion on Monday, and even thought the kiss hadn’t broken the bond, the affects would wear off in a week. That meant it would still be another twenty-four hours before the spell wore off.

She changed into some comfortable slacks and a blouse. It wasn’t her nicest look – she looked far from a future CEO of the largest company in Republic City, but she didn’t think it mattered what Korra saw her in. The girl was bound to think she looked gorgeous.

That stroked Asami’s ego finely.

She teetered down the stairs, jumping over the second step, and found her father and Korra sat in their living room. Hiroshi was at his armchair, and Korra was sat on the sofa. Tea and scones were laid out on the coffee table, and Hiroshi was talking animatedly about something, Korra listening intently.

To Asami’s horror, she realised he was talking about _her._

“Yes, she really did used to be quite a handful. Always casting fire spells. You wouldn’t believe how many times we had to call the fire department when her magic was teething. Eventually, we had them set to speed dial, and whenever we called they just _knew_ to come straight away, and to bring an extra hose.”

Korra laughed. “That sounds adorable.”

Asami’s eyebrows raised. She didn’t want Korra to think she was _adorable_.

“That’s enough of that, father.” She said pointedly, strolling into the kitchen. “Could you… Give me and Korra some space?”

Hiroshi nodded, standing up and walking through to the other side of the house. She didn’t miss how he’d packed both his pockets with scones, though.

She sat down where her father had been, quickly dusting off the crumbs he had left. When she sat down, Korra was staring at her with big expectant eyes.

“What do you want?” Asami snapped.

“You.” Korra said it instantly.

If Asami didn’t know it to be the result of the love potion, she might have been taken aback or ever flattered, but as reason stood, all Korra was doing was complimenting Asami’s incredible potion making. Which, she supposed, was also a form of flattery.

Asami smiled smally.

“Okay, Korra.” She said. “That’s very sweet, but I would prefer it if you stayed away…”

The love potion’s affects could be very potent, and Asami had worried, when in her cab the previous night, that she’d been too hard on Korra. There was nothing as painful as a broken heart when under the influence of love magic. _But the special had probably broken_ , she’d told herself. _She’s probably fine._

Korra _did_ look to be fine though, so she wasn’t too wor–

“Yesterday, when I was in the hospital,” Korra began.

“You were in the hospital?” Asami interjected.

 _Crap! She hadn’t meant to hurt Korra. Just use her for her own emotional gain. A plan that hadn’t even worked, since it really did seem that Mako had liked Korra, and_ disliked _Asami._

“I was.” Korra said calmly. “But it doesn’t matter. I think I had a minor heart attack. Not a big deal.”

“Not a big–“

But Korra hadn’t finished speaking. “I was laying in the bed, and thinking to myself, why did Asami break up with me? What did I do wrong?”

Asami wanted to point out that her and Korra hadn’t been together, and their entire relationship so far, constituted an extremely awkward first date, and a kiss. However, she knew Korra wouldn’t listen to reason.

“And I realised, I didn’t fight for you enough. I should have punched Mako.” She said it as if it was a fact.

In all honesty, Asami wouldn’t have minded if Korra punched Mako – it would have been a very amusing end to her date – but she couldn’t condone such behaviour the day afterwards.

“No, no, Korra.” Asami waved her off. “The truth it, I don’t…” She struggled to find words, but realised that she could just be _honest_. That was the kindest thing to do right?

“I’m not attracted to girls.”

Korra frowned. “You’re not?”

She shook her head. “I wanted to experiment, and go on a date with you, but… I guess I’m just not attracted to girls. I’m sorry.”

“But… you kissed me…?” Korra pointed out.

Asami flushed, remembering the kiss. It wasn’t like most of the kisses Asami had now. Nowadays, it was always with an older guy, in a bar, and it always led to sex. Their kiss had been completely innocent. She couldn’t even remember the last time _she’d_ initiated any sort of affection, and Korra’s lips had been surprisingly soft. Were all girl’s lips that soft, or just Korra’s?

But despite these thoughts Asami knew it was just a kiss, and Asami had kissed a lot of people.

“It was nice.” She said, and Korra beamed. “It just wasn’t… As good as kissing a boy.”

Korra’s face dropped. Asami’s stomach sank.

“Oh.” She said. “Well, that’s okay.” Korra nodded. “I get that.”

Asami smiled. “I’m glad.”

_Glad that this is over._

Korra stood up, and gave Asami a tight hug. Asami didn’t miss the way Korra inhaled her scent, but again, _love potion_. The girl ushered Korra to the door, said one last goodbye, before closing the door.

She moved over to the window, watching idly as Korra jumped from stepping stone to stepping stone. Korra slipped on the last one, landing on her butt. Instead of looking angry though, Korra simply laughed at herself and picked herself back up.

This seemed like a good sign.

Asami became content with the idea that she would probably never see Korra again.

When Korra crossed the property line however, her body froze. Asami watched in interest. She turned around, her eyes growing larger and dilated, immediately seeing Asami at the window.

Asami let out a soft gasp of shock.

_Was she okay?_

Korra ran rampantly back up to the front door, and began pounding on it. Asami watched, morbidly intrigued. Obviously, this was a side affect to her love potion.

“ _I need to go back in!_ ” Korra cried, and her voice was loud and raspy, like a demon. As if something had possessed her. Magic really was terrifying.

“What’s going on?” Hiroshi asked, peeking his head around the corner. “Is everything okay?”

Asami sighed. “I think my potion went a little… haywire.”

“You… Gave the love potion to Korra?”

Hiroshi’s voice sounded confused, but not disgusted.

 _Great,_ Asami thought, _At least if I did like girls, my dad wouldn’t kick me out of this home. Like he could…_

“It’s a long story, Dad.” She replied, still trying to watch Korra through the window. The angle made it difficult, but she could just about make out the panting figure.

Asami wasn’t sure what had gone wrong. That black heart might have been a tell-tale sign that her potion had failed, but so far, the only affect looked to be an extremely intense reaction. Love potions, in theory, were meant to make the person admire and care for the witch, for a short period of time. A week, in this case.

She’d noticed that Korra’s reaction had been somewhat… _intense_. She’d rushed in to the coffee shop and managed to get her number before she even knew Asami’s name. Even though Asami had been rude and unwelcoming on her date, Korra had been more than eager to please her. She’d kissed Asami back as well, which nobody else would. Not after that train wreck of a date.

“Are you going to let her in?” Hiroshi asked.

Asami shook her head. “She’ll get tired eventually. Love potion or not, she’s still a human.”

Hiroshi looked conflicted about her response, but he wouldn’t go against his daughter’s orders. Not when magic was involved. He sighed, toddling over to where his tea was and poured himself another glass.

She watched her father distractedly, but he could never interest Asami for long. Brushing herself off, she went up the rickety stairs back to her bedroom, intent on doing some schoolwork. She had a term paper that she wanted to go over before submitting.

Twenty minutes passed, and Asami was editing her conclusion when her father knocked on her door. She knew it was him, because the knocks were soft and pathetic.

“What do you want, Dad?” She snapped.

“Korra…” The man entered her room awkwardly. “She’s… Uh… Scratching.”

Asami raised her eyebrows. “Scratching?”

“The door.” He clarified.

Asami got up from her seat, and followed her father down into the foyer. Sure enough, the _awful_ sound of nails scratching against hard-wood was ringing through the downstairs of the house.

“I know you said we shouldn’t let her in,” Her father began. “But she’s probably hurting herself. Human fingers are all… _Soft._ ” He held up his hands as if to prove it to her.

Asami flicked her own nails. Hers were considerably longer and harder than a human’s.

“Then she’ll just tire herself out more quickly.” Asami decided. “Leave her. I’m serious, Hiroshi.”

He gulped. She knew he hated it when she called him by his first name – a fact that she often used to her advantage.

“What if she stays out there all night?”

“She won’t.” Asami said confidently.

She did.

Asami heard Korra whimpering, scraping her hands and face against their front door, for the entire duration of the night. Multiple times Hiroshi came into her room and begged for her to let Korra in, but she wouldn’t budge.

“We can’t risk strengthening the love potion. If she comes near me, it might become worse.” She insisted, but even _she_ was starting to feel bad for Korra, especially when the girl would punch the front door and let out a yowl of pain. They were lucky she wasn’t an elf or goblin, and able to use brute strength to knock the door down.

Asami barely slept. Hiroshi had gone out through the back so he could sleep at his office, but Asami had nowhere else to go. And even if she did go somewhere else, Korra would just end up following her there.

“This is the last time I mess with any kind of non-fire related magic.” She muttered, closing her eyes for the umpteenth time and trying to get some sleep. At last, she managed a few hours, but a howl in the early morning woke her up.

Mecha was sat at the end of her bed, looking at her curiously.

“I know she’s loud, baby.” Asami picked up the cat, carrying him to her vanity table before setting him down. She ran a hand through her hair, which naturally sat like a raven waterfall on her shoulders.

The cat let out a low growl, before jumping down from the table and returning to settle on Asami’s bed.

Asami walked down the stairs, trying to cause as little sound as possible. She stared at the front door. There was no scratching, or mewling, or _anything_.

Carefully, she opened it.

Eventually, she knew Korra would tire herself out, but nothing could prepare Asami for what she saw that morning. Korra was curled up into a ball, tears staining her blotchy face. Her fingers were bloodied, and her fists and arms were bruised.

For a _brief_ moment, Asami was filled with guilt. If she’d never used the stupid potion, then she would never have hurt somebody like this. She dreaded to think of what her mother was thinking of her.

Asami pushed that thought aside. She probably didn’t have long until Korra woke up again, and her mere presence was probably stirring Korra’s hormones already.

Quickly, she grabbed her coat and pulled on her shoes, stepping over Korra and making her way to the SUV. She took one last look at Korra, laying there soundly, before driving off and down the street.

The spell would ware off sometime that morning, so Asami was positive that by the time she got back from class, Korra would be gone. The girl would wake up, come to her senses, and go straight home.

For the second time, she was wrong.

“Oh, _fuck_.” She groaned, seeing Korra sat at her front door still. The girl was awake, although she’d probably looked better that morning. Her eyes were red and tired, her hair was a mess, and her hands were still in their totalled state, scratched and bruised and bloodied.

“Asami.” Korra said quickly, as soon as she saw the girl. She tried to stand up, but immediately fell over. Instinctually, Asami rushed over to help her.

“Do you still…?” Asami asked. Maybe Korra just wanted to hang around to apologise for scratching at her door like a panther all night. Maybe the potion had worn off.

All Korra could do was nod, melting into Asami’s embrace.

Asami rolled her eyes.

“Okay, then you’re coming inside.” She said. She had no idea when the love potion would fade, and at that point in time, she didn’t want to get any more blood on her front door.

Asami pushed the door open, Korra still sunken into her side, and hauled the girl to their living room. She sat Korra down on the armchair her father used, and pushed her gently into it. Korra submitted to the comfort instantly.

She turned to go, but Korra grabbed her hand.

“Don’t go…” She croaked. “It _hurts_.”

Guilt washed over Asami again, like a bucket of ice.

“I know it does. I’m sorry.” She replied honestly, taking a small step towards Korra. The blood on her hands was dry, and her face, although full of gunk, seemed majorly dry as well. Her furniture would be safe, which was the only thing she cared about.

Korra was obviously extremely tired, as all Asami had to do was stand there, her hand in Korra’s, and a minute later the smaller girl was snoring.

She watched Korra for a second. Despite the blood and the tears and the _snot_.

_Had she mentioned how disgusting the snot was?_

Despite all that, Korra seemed prettier than she had on their date. It must be that she was more relaxed, and wasn’t telling _terrible_ jokes.

Asami got a wipe from the kitchen and gently rubbed the grossness off of Korra’s face. She’d had to go back for another, and when she remembered the state of Korra’s hands, she ended up just bringing in the whole packet.

She pressed gently against the injuries, and luckily none of them were too deep.

“At least you won’t scar…” Asami mused, holding Korra’s hand out in front of her eyes. Korra’s skin stood out against her own. It was dark and pronounced. Witches were usually very pale, with black or grey hair, but Korra was neither of those things. There was something very human about Korra’s hand in Asami’s.

It wasn’t like Asami hadn’t seen someone from a Water Tribe before, they just weren’t very common around Republic City. She’d certainly never _kissed_ one before. She felt her cheeks pinken lightly at the thought of her kiss with Korra.

It had been so very forced, after all. And it wasn’t very elegant to kiss someone to make a man jealous. No wonder she was embarrassed.

“As… Ami…” Korra groaned in her sleep.

Asami let out a sigh. This love potion was becoming more trouble than it was worth.

She bandaged Korra’s hands, taping her fingers together so the girl couldn’t scratch them up again.

 _I’ll keep her like that till the potion wears off_ , She decided.

Next, she had to deal with Korra’s hair. It was short, hardly cascading to her chin, but it was messy and tatted. Not to mention there was a large hunk of dried blood clumping together a lot of hair near her scalp.

Asami gently brushed through it, using a wipe to get as much blood as she could out of the hair. After a minute or so, Korra’s hair was looking the same as it had when she’d first arrived at Asami’s house the day before.

She gently leant Korra up, and began to braid the hair. She didn’t know _why_ she was doing it, but she just felt like it. She wanted to know what Korra would look like. Plus, it would keep hair out of the girl’s eyes, hopefully.

Mecha let out a low meow from the coffee table.

“Let me do what I want, Mecha.” Asami grumbled.

Once she’d finished, Korra looked just like one of those illustrations of little girl’s in children’s books, like in Hansel and Gretel. The thought made Asami smile.

“Korra.” She nudged the girl. “Korra, you have to get up.”

Korra groaned.

“Coffee Girl?” She whispered.

Asami felt a smile on her lips and bit it back.

“Yes, it’s me.”

Korra hummed in delight, settling back into the couch and closing her eyes. “Okay.”

“You need to go to bed, Korra. You’re really tired.”

Korra opened her eyes. “Your bed?”

“No, no.” Asami shook her head, reddening. “The spare room’s bed, okay?”

“I want your bed.” Korra pouted. If Asami didn’t feel so guilty, she might have been uncomfortable with Korra’s clinginess, but _she did this to Korra. Her magic had done this_.

This was her fault.

“No, it has to be the spare bed.” Asami said firmly. She hoped it wouldn’t be too painful for Korra, and she definitely didn’t want a repeat of the previous night.

The spell should have worn off by now, and she was getting gradually more and more worried. It appeared to be becoming more intense as the days went on, causing Korra to have a heart incident and then the clawing at her door.

Asami hated to admit it, but she was sure her potion had been feral.

Her mother had explained feral potions to her when she was little. Potions that do what they’re intended to _a little too well_ , and it becomes a problem. It usually happens to witches who have been cursed, or humans trying to make a witch’s potion. Or, Asami remembered, witches who dabble in forbidden spells a little too often.

Oh _crap_.

This really was her fault. She felt the back of her neck heat up awkwardly.

“Is the spare bed near your bed?” Korra asked.

Asami nodded quickly. “Just next door. I promise it won’t hurt sleeping there.”

 _She couldn’t promise that_.

Korra sighed, holding her arm out. Asami grabbed it and pulled the girl to her feet. Had she always been this much shorter than Asami? She wasn’t sure…

“C’mon.” She exhaled. “Let’s get upstairs.”

She didn’t expect Korra to put up a fight, but she also didn’t expect Korra to interlock their fingers so tightly. Korra had very soft hands. Were all girls hands this soft? Were _Asami’s_ hands this soft?

They made it up the stairs quite swiftly, Korra looking at her walls in awe as they went. At the top of the staircase was a small picture frame of Asami’s whole family, from when she’d been six. Korra looked at the picture for a long minute, resisting Asami’s urges to keep her moving.

She looked at Asami, scanning Asami’s features, before looking back at the photo. Asami shifted uncomfortably under Korra’s gaze.

“That’s my family.” Asami said, breaking the silence.

“Yasuko.” Korra whispered. “Your… Your mother is…?”

Asami sighed.

“Yes. My mother is Yasuko.”

Korra tilted her head, her eyes still peering at Asami. She was probably going to ask Asami to prove it, or perform some huge spell. Or maybe make a comment about how Asami wasn’t ever going to be as good a witch as her. Instead, she just stared.

At last, she said, “You look like her.”

Asami was surprised.

“I do.” She said. She’d always looked just like her mother, even as a child.

Korra turned back to the picture, and ran her fingers over Yasuko’s face. Her face fell into a frown. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She said. “I can’t imagine losing my mother.”

Asami shrugged. “It’s an old wound. Can you come to bed now?”

Korra nodded, holding her hand out. Asami took it without thinking, and guided Korra into the spare bedroom.

“Lay down in there.” She said, peeling the cover off the bed. Korra slid under, and Asami tucked her in, brushing a strand of stray hair back behind Korra’s ear.

“I like my hair like this.” Korra hummed, closing her eyes. Asami noticed how she shivered under the covers.

“Are you cold?” She asked.

Korra opened her eyes, and slightly inclined her head. The love potion probably made it difficult for her to request things from Asami. For some reason, that thought made Asami anxious. She’d already made it difficult enough by putting Korra through all this. Now she’d have to keep a real eye on the girl, just to make sure she was okay.

Asami summoned her wand and lit the fireplace at the foot of Korra’s bed.

“Woah.” Korra breathed. “That was so cool.”

Asami felt herself grin.

“I’m good at fire spells.” She told her. “Now, please try and get some sleep.”

Korra laid back down in the bed, and after a few watchful moments, Asami breathed a sigh of relief when Korra began to snore. She looked very small, bundled under the covers with her braids.

Asami left the room quietly, placing her head against the closed door and trying to hear whether Korra would awake from her absence or not. Luckily, she appeared to still be sleeping. She would have to work out how far she could go from Korra without causing the girl pain.

She leant back against the door and slumped to the ground. Not yet, though. For now, she would let the girl sleep.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Someone was calling her. As a general rule, she let her phone ring out, so _she_ could decide when to call them back. It was usually a male suitor, after all.

This time was no exception. She sighed at the name on her screen.

Iroh. They were long-term friends, since both their mothers had been Great Ones, and recently, he’d been overly friendly. Asami wasn’t _not_ interested in him – he was handsome, and he knew how to court a witch. Unlike most humans. But, she was a little occupied at that moment.

Her phone was buzzing loudly in her hand, and she answered it quickly, panicked that it would wake up Korra.

“ _Hello_?” Iroh said over the line. He sounded unsure. “ _Asami_?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” She said, in a hushed voice.

“ _You sound quiet_.”

“Bad reception.”

“ _Oh, yeah. Cottage, right_?” He said, with a half-laugh. She didn’t laugh with him. “ _Anyway, I was wondering, if you’re not busy this Friday we could go… Get some drinks_?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Iroh?” She wanted to sound a little flirty, but it ended up coming out as impatient.

 _“…Yeah. If you’re interested, I mean_.”

He really did sound nervous. Asami _loved_ when men sounded nervous.

“I’m available. We’ll meet at the Royal Palace bar.” She said. “Text me on the day.”

“ _That sounds good_ –“ Iroh was saying, but Asami hung up before he could finish.

Her head hit the wall behind her, and she let out a long breath of air. A date with Iroh… That would be fine. She’d probably take him back here, afterwards. Korra should be gone by then.

 _But what if she isn’t?_ A small voice asked from the back of her head.

Asami usually ignored that voice, but she couldn’t this time. This was too big of a deal. She couldn’t have someone constantly ruining her plans, especially not a needy human girl. Korra’s reaction, if she found out Asami was on a date with someone else, would probably be _catastrophic_.

“Shit…” She mumbled.

Her father would be no help at all with this matter, either, and Asami didn’t know what to do. There was someone she could ask, though. Even though she hated asking for favours.

She opened her phone again, and opened the ‘contacts’ app, her finger rolling down to the ‘K’s.

Asami pressed the name, and waited for it to ring. It didn’t even ring twice before her friend – maybe her only _real_ friend, picked up.

“ _Asami? Have you butt-dialed me_?” Kuvira asked.

Asami laughed mutedly. “No, believe it or not Kuvira. I actually need your help.”

There was a clinking noise from the other side of the line. Had Kuvira just dropped her phone?

“ _What?”_ Kuvira spluttered, after a few seconds. “ _What do you… What do you mean?_ ”

“I messed up.” She said. “I need your help.”

“ _What did you… do_?” Kuvira sounded excited. “ _Did you kill someone? Tell me you killed someone_!”

“Chill out, Criminal Minds.” Asami drawled. “It’s a much _livelier_ problem.”

“ _It’s just crazy that you’re asking for help. If it’s not interesting now, I’ll be disappointed_.”

Asami rolled her eyes.

“God forbid I disappoint you.”

“ _I’ll be there in twenty_.” Kuvira said, before hanging up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an early update for u ;) i just felt like it lol


	4. HOW TO HELP A FRIEND

Twenty minutes passed and there was a knock on Asami’s front door. She sent Kuvira a text telling her to come in and meet her on the landing. If it wasn’t for Korra she’d have met Kuvira down there, but she was worried leaving her position outside of the human’s door would cause an imbalance of hormones in her system, and wake her up.

Kuvira was _practically_ stomping up the stairs though, and Asami cringed. Luckily, there was still no movement coming from inside the bedroom.

The shorter girl spotted Asami, sat on the floor against the door, and raised her eyebrows.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Kuvira asked.

Asami snickered. “That would be easier to deal with than this.”

There was a shuffle from inside the spare room, which caught Kuvira’s attention.

“Is there somebody in there? Did you _kidnap_ someone?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Asami demanded, standing up. She took a few testing steps from the door, glancing back to see if Korra was affected. A few more metres didn’t seem to upset anything.

“I think I’m the one that should be asking that.” Kuvira pointed out. “Seriously, Asami, what is going on?”

“I made a feral potion.” She told Kuvira quickly.

Kuvira’s mouth fell open.

“ _How?_ ” She asked. Her voice was more shock than rage, which Asami was thankful for. “Are you _cursed_? Who cursed you?”

“I’m not cursed.” Asami shook her head.

“But… Then… How?” She asked, looking confused.

“Kuvira.” Asami said wearily.

Realisation dawned on Kuvira’s face, and it transitioned quickly into annoyance.

“I thought you gave up forbidden spells.” She took an angry step towards Asami. “You _told_ me you were giving them up. You promised.”

“It wasn’t a blood promise.” Asami muttered.

“So I need to get you to make a blood promise with me, every time you threaten to _break coven law?_ You could get imprisoned for this. Or have your magic revoked. Probably _both_. What were you _thinking?_ ”

Widely, witches were policed by the Coven Protection Society (CPS), and Kuvira was the head of the Republic City division. She was even wearing her RCCPS sweater that day, which made the conversation all the more awkward.

Kuvira and Asami had gone to the same boarding school for witches when they were younger, and being the brightest two in the class, they became friends quickly.

Not to mention, they were both stunning. Witches usually weren’t the prettiest, covered in moles and puss-filled warts, with scaley skin and huge hooked noses, larger than any human nose could ever be. Kuvira only had one mole, which was pleasingly placed, and Asami had none, so not only had the two been the smartest, they’d also been so pretty that they were literally considered unapproachable to the other students.

They had formed a firm friendship, which was the only reason Asami felt like she could trust Kuvira. There lives had taken them down different paths – Asami’s to business school, and Kuvira’s to the CPS, but they still saw each other at least once a week.

“It was _just_ an invisibility spell.” Asami snapped. “How was I meant to know it would affect my potion? It _hardly_ classes as forbidden.”

“Didn’t your potion look different at the end?” Kuvira asked, urgently. “Surely you must have _known_ it was feral! Why wouldn’t you dispose of it?”

Asami winced, remembering the black heart.

“I didn’t think it would be that _big_ of an issue.” She hissed back.

“So, what potion is it?” Kuvira asked, peering behind Asami at the closed door. “A sleeping potion gone wrong? Or… A transformation? Are you hiding a monster inside there?”

“It was a love potion.” Asami replied.

Kuvira’s jaw dropped again.

“What?” Asami snapped.

“Why… _Why?”_ Was all Kuvira could say.

“It was for a petty reason.” She told Kuvira, not wanting to answer the question. “I regret it now.”

“Who did you use it on?” Kuvira asked. “Is he somebody I know?”

“She.” Asami corrected, not even thinking of the implication of it all.

“Oh.” Kuvira said simply. Asami turned to her, quirking an eyebrow at her friend’s surprised tone. “I didn’t know you were into girls now. You should have told me. I know there aren’t _many_ gay girls around, but there’s enough so that you don’t need to resort to a love potion. I could have hooked you up with one of my friends.”

“No offence,” Asami rolled her eyes, “But your friends weird me out.”

“That’s homophobic.” Kuvira said flatly.

“There’s a _literal orgy_ happening every time I come to your place. I’m not even exaggerating.”

Kuvira chuckled. “Point taken.”

“The _real_ problem isn’t just the love potion.” Asami continued. “If it was just that, I’d wait for it to wear off. But it’s been more than a week, now. Have you ever heard of a love potion lasting this long?”

“Hmm…” Kuvira narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never heard of a love potion lasting longer than it’s intended for. Sometimes people grow weaker to the potion’s affects over time, if they were drinking them every day for example, like in the case of Azula’s slaves... Is there any chance this girl drinks love potions regularly?”

“None at all.” Asami shook her head. “She’s just a regular human girl. She _does_ comes from the Water Tribe. Would that make the potion last longer?”

Kuvira shook her head. “That wouldn’t increase the length of the spell, just the intensity of the affects. Has she been difficult to cater for?”

“She tried to scratch her way through my door last night. I had to clean blood off her hands this morning.” Asami admitted to her. “I thought if I kept her out there, she’d get tired and go home.”

Kuvira nodded understandingly, which made Asami feel a little less guilty. “If it was a normal potion, it _would_ do that.”

“So, what do I do?” Asami asked.

“It’s only been a little more than a week?”

Asami nodded. “Less than a day longer. My timings aren’t wrong, though.”

“Then just wait it out. Take her home, as well. Being surrounded by your belongings is probably making the affects worse.” Kuvira glanced at the door. “Maybe bring one of your blankets or something, to keep her happy. You’ve got to be careful though. Extended pain from magic in humans can…”

“Kill them.” Asami finished. “I know. If I kill her, you’re definitely turning me in, right?”

“Nah.” Kuvira said. “I think you’d turn yourself in.”

“Do you even know me?” Asami laughed dryly.

Kuvira shrugged. “I’ve never seen you look so guilty over something. Not even when you broke up with that guy, what was his name? Dave? When you broke up with him in a class presentation.”

“Why would I feel guilty about that?” Asami frowned. “I had a date right after that. I didn’t want to _cheat_ on him.”

“Your empathy levels never fail to astound me.” Kuvira said. “What’s her name? The lucky girl, I mean.”

“Korra Mermak.” Asami said, remembering how she’d spelled the name out with her wand, and how it had taken _much_ longer than it should have.

“Ha-Ha!” Kuvira snorted. “Funny joke. What’s her real name?”

Asami looked at Kuvira in confusion. “I wasn’t… Joking?”

“You’re trying to tell me,” Kuvira said with a laugh, “That you have the daughter of Tonraq Mermak, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, sleeping in your spare bedroom?”

Asami’s eyes widened. She _knew_ she’d recognised that surname from somewhere.

“Oh, _fuck_.” She cursed.

Kuvira’s smile dropped. “Asami…”

“Of fuck!” She gasped. “I’m _fucked_.”

“Wait, you’re for real?” Kuvira walked past Asami and opened the door. Korra was still sleeping, one braid messily placed over her face. Kuvira’s eyes scanned her, before turning back to Asami. “Ah, shit.” She mouthed.

“What do I do?” Asami whispered. “Her father’s going to have to check up on her! And it’s university term break in two weeks! She’s probably going home to see her family or something.”

Kuvira blinked, her face scrunched up with thought.

“Kuvira, I’m kind of scared right now…?” Asami said, after a second. Her voice was shaking.

She must have woken Korra up, because the girl came scurrying out to meet her, throwing her arms around Asami’s waist and burying her face in the crook of her neck. Asami took a step back from shock. “Korra!” She exclaimed.

“Hey Sami.” Korra mumbled into her pulse point. It sent vibrations down Asami’s body.

“Sami?” Kuvira raised an eyebrow, smirking. Asami shot her a stern look.

“Would you like something to eat?” She asked Korra, remembering that the girl wouldn’t ask for anything herself. It was sort of like caring for a baby. A _huge_ baby. Except, not really, because Korra was definitely at least twenty.

Korra nodded, and Asami led her down the stairs, Kuvira following behind.

“Who’s this?” Korra asked, looking back at Kuvira. Kuvira smiled at her awkwardly.

“That’s my friend Kuvira.” Asami told her.

Korra blinked at Kuvira, before smiling. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Kuvira replied.

They arrived in the kitchen, and immediately Asami summoned her wand. She pulled out a stool to the breakfast bar, and tapped the seat. Korra jumped up, smiling happily. Kuvira took the seat next to her, observing Korra out of the corner of her eye.

“Now, what can I do for you two today?” Asami said with a smile. “I can literally make anything you want. Maybe.”

Kuvira was still smirking, and Asami didn’t know why.

“I’ll have pancakes. With squid.” Korra said. “That’s my favourite food.”

Kuvira burst out into laughter. “With… squid?” She asked, wheezing. “You’re a weirdo. Asami, you picked a freak.”

Korra pouted, sticking her tongue out at Kuvira. “Don’t bash it before you try it. Asami, your friend _sucks_.”

Asami couldn’t help but laugh at the pair of them. “And what would you like, Kuvira?” She asked.

The other witch shook her head. “I’m alright. I already ate when you called me.”

Korra turned to Kuvira, frowning, but didn’t say anything. Asami bit her lip at Korra. She wasn’t upset that she called Kuvira, was she?

Asami tapped her wand twice to the kitchen counter, muttering the spell to summon Korra’s favourite food. It took her two attempts, but she eventually managed. She saw Kuvira laugh at her failed attempt, but ignored it. It wasn’t _her_ fault she didn’t spend all her time practising her magic.

All three girls watched in wonderment as the kitchen concocted Korra’s request – Kuvira and Asami raising their eyebrows as a squid was fried in oil, Korra’s mouth watering as the pancakes were being flipped. It only took a few minutes, and soon the plate was served.

Kuvira was giggling a little, but Asami was managing to bite back her laugh. It didn’t _look_ good. It didn’t even look edible. But Korra was delighted, taking out her knife and fork and chowing down. Asami watched distractedly as Korra ate, thinking of what the _hell_ she could do. Losing her magic wasn’t an option – and not just because she liked being a witch. Imagining her mother’s look of disappointment when she joined her in the afterlife was too painful to tempt. She was meant to be a daughter of a Great One after all.

Korra had a speck of syrup on her upper lip, and Asami leant over and wiped it off. The way the younger girl looked up at her and smiled made Asami’s chest warm.

 _Okay,_ she thought, _I definitely have to make this right_.

“So, we’re probably going to go to your apartment today, if that’s alright with you?” Asami asked.

Korra’s face immediately turned to worry. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She said simply, before turning back to her food.

“Why?” Kuvira asked, glancing towards Asami.

“It really… It doesn’t feel good when I’m not…” Korra was struggling with her words, blushing like an idiot. Asami sighed. She knew what the end of that sentence was, and it made her feel bad all over again.

“I’ll be dropping you off.” She offered weakly. “You can tell me more chicken jokes, if you’d like?”

Korra’s face lit up like a bulb. “You liked them?!” She exclaimed.

Was the light from the chandelier reflecting in Korra’s eyes, or had they always been that shiny?

“They’re okay.” She shrugged, noticing Kuvira’s expression of disbelief.

“You told Asami a _joke_? And she didn’t immediately cut you out of her life?” Kuvira gawped. “Who _are_ you?”

Korra turned to her, and stuck out her tongue again. Kuvira didn’t laugh, but Asami did.

“Okay, c’mon.” She used her wand to start cleaning the dishes. “We’re going to your place, Korra. You’re going to need to give me the address?”

The shorter girl got down from her perch on the stool, and followed Asami eagerly through the kitchen. Once again, Kuvira was forced to trail behind. Asami noticed her little grumble at being at the back of the three, but she didn’t say anything.

She opened the back door, and Korra jumped in.

Kuvira came around the other side and was about to sit shotgun, but Asami told her to sit next to Korra. Thankfully, the other witch understood – they really did have to keep an eye on Korra. Asami got in the front seat and revved, tightening her hands around the wheel. It was an old habit, but one that she liked. Her SUV had been with her for a long time. Luckily, it was the type that always stayed in fashion.

“Is your seatbelt on, Korra?” She asked through the rear mirror, who immediately strapped herself in with a sheepish smile.

 _It really was like looking after a child_.

The car zoomed off, and she found that Korra lived about ten minutes away. It was an old apartment building, with crumbling brick work and the smell of cigarettes in the air. Kuvira gave Asami a _look_ but she ignored it. A stray cat was walking by, and she watched as Korra bent down and began to stroke it.

“Do you like cats?” She found herself asking. The answer didn’t matter to her. It just seemed… _appropriate_ to ask.

“If they get along with Naga, then sure.” Korra said absently, standing back up and walking towards the apartment.

“Who’s Naga?” Kuvira asked.

Asami shrugged, hastily speeding up to catch up with Korra. They almost didn’t make it into the elevator, since Korra had already pressed the button, and they’d had to run in and slide through the gap.

Korra was grinning at them lopsidedly. Originally, Asami had thought that smile was strange. Why not just smile with your whole mouth? But now it just seemed so… _Korra_. She must have been used to it.

The elevator made an awful noise as it ascended. It was clunking and creaking, and at one point it felt like they’d suddenly been dropped a foot or two. Asami didn’t miss how Kuvira had her wand at the ready, in case she had to cast a quick levitation spell.

“I usually take the stairs.” Korra said, once the elevator had reached their floor.

“I wonder why?” Kuvira muttered sarcastically.

Korra lived on floor thirty-six. Asami glanced down the old corridor. It reminded her of a hotel building, with it’s old smelly carpets and dim lighting. At one end of the corridor there was a window, and on the sill beneath it, a dying potted plant.

The witches looked around, scanning the walls, and by the time they’d got over the… _dinginess_ , of it all, Korra was missing.

“Korra!” Asami called out, panic taking over.

Kuvira shot her another look. “What is with you and this girl?” She asked.

Asami drew her eyebrows together. “I don’t know if you noticed, Kuvira, but if I lose this girl I’m probably going to prison. _Coven prison._ ”

The other witch didn’t look convinced, although she did acknowledge that Coven prison wasn’t somewhere anyone wanted to be. Being an evil witch wasn’t something people could take lightly – a simple curse could put a whole country in a drought for years, or cause an Earthquake, or any number of potentially deadly things.

A feral love potion might not seem as catastrophic, but in the Coven’s eyes, it was a feral love potion today, and a worldwide famine tomorrow.

“Are you coming?” Korra asked, popping her head out of a nearby door. Room number four. Asami made a mental note of that.

Kuvira and her hurried, entering the apartment. It was a lot like what Asami had expected. Mismatched furniture, old floral wallpaper. There were photos of a group of people on some of the walls, and Asami recognised Korra in quite a lot of them.

She even saw a picture of Mako, with another boy. It made her gasp.

“What?” Korra asked, before following her gaze. “Oh yeah. Mako. I live with his brother.”

“You live with…?” Asami trailed off, her eyes catching sight of something else.

A _huge_ white polar bear dog was sat on the carpet in front of the television, snoring away. Kuvira must have seen it at the same time, because she took a nervous step back. Witches were notoriously _cat people,_ and most didn’t like dogs.

Asami was definitely a witch that didn’t like dogs.

“Korra, is that –?”

“Oh, you mean Naga?” Korra turned to the dog and her voice became much more high-pitched. “Come here, girl! C’mere!”

The dog immediately woke up and darted towards Korra, and Asami watched in terror as it pounced on the shorter girl. She immediately summoned her wand, ready to slay the beast, until she heard Korra laughing.

“Hey! Did you miss me! You missed me!” Korra was giggling, stroking the dog energetically whilst it licked her face.

“What the _hell_ is going on?” Kuvira muttered. Her face reflected Asami’s – pure fright.

Korra turned, smiling curiously at the two of them. “Don’t tell me witches really _are_ scared of dogs? I thought Kya made that up.”

“We’re not –“ But Kuvira cut Asami off.

“Kya, as in, Kya the Great One?” Kuvira asked suddenly, wearing a frown. “You know her?”

Korra nodded, but before she could continue, Naga’s attention had changed, big brown eyes now staring intently at Asami. Asami’s breath hitched, and the monster must have sensed her fear because it _ran,_ straight at her, and she didn’t even have time to call upon her wand.

The next thing she knew, she was laying on the floor, the beasts gigantic tongue licking at her face, covering her in great blobs of sopping slobber.

“ _Agh!_ ” She shrieked, desperately trying to push the beast off of her. Korra was laughing somewhere distantly, but Asami could barely hear her over her own yells.

“What’s all this noise?” A girl asked, a girl that was neither Kuvira nor Korra.

“Oh, hey Opal.”

 _Opal_ must have distracted Naga, because the dog turned and made a beeline towards her. Asami managed to sit up, pushing her hair back with her hand. When she looked towards Korra, she found a hand reached out to her.

“Are you okay?” Korra asked, still laughing a little.

“Fine.” Asami mumbled. Korra leant over and brushed a strand of her hair behind Asami’s ear, smiling fondly at Asami.

For some reason, completely unknown to Asami, she felt her heart beat a little quicker.

“Uh, thanks.” She said, and her voice _stammered_. Like actually, _stammered_. She was shocked. Had it _ever_ done that before?

She had to be nervous about this whole Korra situation. It could only be that.

“So, this must be Asami?” Opal said, and Asami looked up. The girl was _pretty_ , really pretty, with a short black bob and tan skin. Her eyes as well, a lot of people around these parts had green eyes, but this girl’s were more olive-coloured than most. She was probably even shorter than Korra, as well.

Her eyes however, weren’t turned to Asami, but laid upon Kuvira. “I see what Korra means.” She said, her hand leant against the back of the couch. “You _are_ pretty. Not sure if I’d call you the _daughter of Aphrodite_ , but…”

What had Korra called her?

“Oh, no, Opal.” Korra said quickly. “This is Asami. And we’re just friends, so don’t be weird about it.”

Asami felt Korra’s fingers entangle with hers, and the shorter girl smiled at Asami. Opal’s eyes met Asami’s and for some reason, Asami felt even more nervous than she had a second ago. Like she was under _scrutiny_.

“Hm.” She said shortly.

Asami felt like she’d failed some sort of test, but couldn’t even begin to fathom what it was.

“Is Bolin here?” Korra asked.

Opal looked away awkwardly. “Ah, no. He, uh…” She gave Korra an apologetic look. “He’s staying with Mako for a while, downtown.”

“Oh.”

Asami could hear the hurt in Korra’s voice.

“Are you okay?” She asked. “Who’s Bolin?”

Opal folded her arms. “You didn’t even tell her about us, Korra?”

Korra rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “It didn’t really come up.”

The olive-eyed girl huffed and rolled her eyes. She jumped with ease over the couch, landing with a thump on the cushions. Asami watched in interest as she slumped back, picking up the remote and pressing the television on. Opal’s eyes turned to Korra expectantly.

The girl must have understood something nonverbally, because before Asami knew it, Korra had joined Opal, sitting next to her on the couch. Kuvira and Asami were still stood at the door, neither moving. Asami had noticed the _dog_ walking off somewhere, down a small corridor next to the small kitchen. Probably to the bedrooms?

“Sit with me, Sami.” Korra called, and Asami noticed a light look of pain on Korra’s face. And Korra had _asked_ for something as well. She counted the metres between them – _seven –_ quickly taking a mental note of it.

She rushed over, gracefully lowering herself next to Korra. As soon as she was sat, Korra’s arms latched onto her arm, and she rested her head against Asami’s shoulder. The touch was warm and comforting, and Asami relaxed in her hold.

Kuvira sat awkwardly next to Asami. The taller witch noticed the way she eyed Opal, and bit back a smile. _Kuvira was never subtle when it came to attraction_.

“So, this Bolin?” Kuvira said, whilst Opal flicked through channels on the television. “He’s your boyfriend?”

Asami raised her eyebrow at Kuvira, who smirked in return.

Opal laughed, not taking her eyes off the television. “He wishes. I’m way out of his league.” She paused, biting her lip as she selected a channel. Her eyes didn’t turn to Kuvira, but she was almost _smiling_ as she said the next part. “And gay. I’m very gay.”

“Interesting.” Kuvira practically _purred_ and Asami rolled her eyes.

_Is Kuvira kidding right now? This is a crisis!_

Korra sprung up quickly from Asami’s shoulder. Her skin felt cold without Korra’s there.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” She said. “I’ll… Be right back.”

Asami wondered if Korra would be okay going alone, but scolded herself quickly. This was a _grown_ woman, not a kitten. Korra would be fine. Plus, the bathroom couldn’t be too far away, and Korra said she would be right back.

Once the three of them had heard Korra close the door, Opal turned to them, her casual disposition dissolving immediately.

“Okay, cut the crap.” She said. Both Asami and Kuvira exchanged surprised glances. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing with Korra, but I just know that two _witches_ ,” She said the word like it was a slur. “Can’t have any good intentions with my friend. Korra isn’t some girl you can just… _fuck and chuck_ , okay? And if you hurt her, I don’t know how I’m going to kill you two, being witches and all, but god _forbid_ I will find a way.”

“Just because we’re _witches_ ,” Kuvira said the word in the same tone as Opal, mocking the shorter girl, “Doesn’t mean we’re here to sleep with your friend.”

“No?” Opal laughed. “Isn’t that what all of you do? Find a human, manipulate their feelings, and keep ‘em around.”

Asami bit her lip. They _did_ have a bit of a reputation for that.

“No!” Kuvira argued.

Opal turned to Asami. “So, you’re saying you actually _like_ Korra?”

Asami’s mouth went dry. This was about to become _very_ awkward.

“Actually, Opal, we need to tell you something.” She must have sounded nervous, because Opal’s face switched from smugness to concern.

“…What?”

“I _may_ have… Uh, accidentally,” _Well that was a lie_. “Put Korra under a love potion.”

Opal’s mouth opened, then closed. Asami took it as her cue to continue.

“I didn’t _mean_ to.” _Another lie, cool_. “It just happened. But the problem is, it went… Wrong. I don’t know if you know what a feral spell is?”

“I’m familiar with the term.” Opal said tightly. “But what does it mean for Korra?”

“We’re not sure when the spell will wear off.” Kuvira said, finishing for Asami. “Or even, _if_ , it will wear off.”

“… _If_ it will wear off?” Opal looked aghast. “Do you _know_ what this love potion has done to our group? Korra and Mako were finally _happy._ Korra has been mooning over him for months. And Bolin was spending more and more time with his brother, and less and less time with his sociopathic _witch_ ,” There was that tone again. “Girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry.” Asami said, and she _meant it._ This had all gone way too far. She’d made a mistake.

Opal scoffed. “Sure.”

“She is.” Kuvira said defensively.

“There is a way to break the spell.” Opal said, her eyes widening all at once. “Love potions don’t work if you _know_ you’re under one. Even the slightest suspicion ruins it.”

“But if you tell her,” Kuvira said patiently. “Asami’s magic will severely deteriorate. She’ll probably black out, and the Coven will have to revive her, and then the Coven would _know_ what she did, and send her to prison.”

Asami looked at Kuvira. She hadn’t even considered the _outcome_ of her magic deteriorating. Kuvira was right – that really wasn’t an option. It was strangely comforting to know that Kuvira had been thinking about her, though.

“I’m meant to care about that?” Opal said. “Are you _kidding_? I just want my old life back.”

Korra walked in, drying her hands on her trousers. The braids Asami had put in earlier were dropping out, but it made Korra look even cuter. God, Asami really was _babying_ her, wasn’t she? What had come over her?

She was so busy worrying about that, that she didn’t notice Opal leap up and run towards Korra before it was too late.

“Wait, no, Opal –“ She heard Kuvira say, but Opal was already in front of Korra.

“Korra!” She cried, grabbing the girl’s attention. “You don’t really like Asami! You drank her love potion!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no what's going to happen : )


	5. HOW TO DITCH A DATE

Korra’s eyes widened in surprise, the blue inside them greying with confusion, and she glanced over towards Asami, searching to see if it was true. If Asami hadn’t been prepping herself for an unending feeling of pain, Korra might not have believed Opal, but when she saw Asami with her eyes closed, breathing softly, a hand against the sofa to steady herself, she _knew_ it was true.

“You… That’s true, isn’t it?” Korra breathed.

Asami, beautiful, immaculate, perfect Asami, looked up and nodded slightly. Her eyes were observing Korra carefully, as if they expected something.

And she should be in pain right then, shouldn’t she? Korra wasn’t sure on the rules, even if Kya had gone over them with her a hundred times, but if a witch’s subject became aware of a love potion (or various other types of spells and potions for that matter) the witch’s magic would be drained, causing a great deal of harm. It was something to do with the balance of magic in the atmosphere.

“Why aren’t you in pain?” Kuvira, Asami’s shorter witch friend, asked Asami. The witch looked at her friend and blinked.

“I don’t… Know?” She breathed.

And with those words, Korra felt a new pain rip through her. It wasn’t like her minor heart episode, or being outside of Asami’s front door – that had been a feeling of yearning, overwhelming _need_. Instead, this pain felt liked she’d been electrocuted, and before she knew what was happening she was falling to the ground.

She wasn’t sure what she was seeing, but from the way the carpet moved up and down and distorted figures ran to gather around her, their faces shaking, she could assume she was having some kind of fit on the floor of her apartment.

“Is she seizing?” She heard Opal say, but she sounded distant, as if Korra was in the bathroom and Opal was in her bedroom.

“This should be happening to _me!_ ” Asami cried, her voice much louder in Korra’s ears than Opal’s. Korra hated that noise, hated the pain in her voice. She reached out, trying to help, but her body wasn’t listening to her.

It took a few more excruciating seconds for her to black out.

When she awoke, she was laid in her bed. Her room was cold, the window open slightly, and she was alone. She sat up, noticing the thin layer of dust on her side-table.

_How long had she been out?_

Korra’s mind went straight to Asami, but she was used to that by now. Asami, the witch who had affectively drugged her. Korra wanted to be mad at her, _tried_ to be mad at her, but it was impossible. Her body was fighting her brain, telling her that those feelings of anger all came from a place of love.

Even though she _knew_ they didn’t, it was as if she had a separate mind inside of her own, a much darker, contaminated mind, that told her otherwise. After a few seconds of mental struggle, Korra gave into the second mind, and crawled out of her bed in search of Asami.

When she wasn’t near Asami, it felt like her chest was perpetually sinking, and right then it was as if it was plonked firmly on the floor. It hurt a lot, actually, and Korra had tried painkillers but nothing had eased it. At least that had meant she’d gotten used to it. Now it almost felt like a harsh cramp in her upper body, rather than a stab wound, and Korra had had worse period pain in the past than that.

She knew that Asami wasn’t in the apartment. Korra told herself that she was just in her cottage, probably doing something cute and witchy, and that she was safe. In search of somebody else, she walked into the kitchen, finding the whole apartment completely empty.

“Opal?” She called, but it was no use.

The calendar on the fridge told Korra it was Friday, meaning she’d missed a whole week of classes, and the sky outside told her it was sometime in the evening.

“Shit.” She muttered, taking her phone off of the counter from the charge-point. She needed to email her professors and apologise for not giving them notice of her absence. Her grades couldn’t suffer too much, or else she’d be sent back home to the South (her father’s decision), so Korra always kept them to a certain high and unreputable standard.

She winced when saw all the messages and missed calls from her folks. She sent them a quick message telling them that she was okay, and that her phone had been missing but she’d found it. Korra was surprised that they hadn’t sent a SWAT team to try and locate her, but she was glad they hadn’t. Maybe they thought she was just trying to get some space from them.

 _Maybe I need some space from them_ , she thought, as new message after new message began piling in after they’d received Korra’s. All from her dad as well, which was disappointing.

There was a thundering noise behind her, and the apartment door bust open. Korra immediately braced herself in a fighting pose. She could tell it wasn’t Asami, and Opal had a key so wouldn’t bust in and—

Oh.

Kuvira had stormed in, yelling something or other at Opal, her wand drawn which must have been how she opened the door. Opal was screaming back, just as loudly. They were probably going to get a noise complaint – _again_.

“You’re the reason that Korra is in there,” Opal pointed at the bedrooms without looking over. “In a _coma_!”

“How is it my fault?” Kuvira snapped, taking a step towards Opal. Even though Kuvira was probably the same height as Korra, she still towered over Opal. “I found out only _hours_ before you that this whole mess had happened. If anything, it was your fault for trying to break Asami’s spell. You couldn’t just let us fix it properly. You had to be the big witch-hating hero!”

“I would probably do it again, as well.” Opal growled, mirroring Kuvira and taking a step forward. “At least I made an effort to fix the problem.”

“By making it worse!” Kuvira cried in exasperation. “How are you so far up your own _arse_ that you don’t see that?”

“You blame _me_ for this then? And not your evil little friend?”

“Asami isn’t evil.” Kuvira calmed her voice a little. “Not all witches are evil. Most aren’t, actually.”

“Nothing good has _ever_ happened when a witch has been involved!”

“Oh, boo-hoo! Opal, you’re verging on coming off as ignorant. We’re all people, human or not.”

“Monsters aren’t people.” She snarled. “And don’t say my name.”

Kuvira took yet another step towards Opal, her eyes darkening. She was only a step away from her then, and Korra watched as Opal’s neck clenched and relaxed.

“And why not?” Kuvira questioned in a low voice.

Opal stared up at Kuvira, only an inch or so away from her face, in pure defiance. Korra wondered if Opal was going to smack Kuvira, or maybe scream some more. She certainly hadn’t expected Opal to lunge forward and press her lips to Kuvira’s.

When Kuvira grabbed Opal by the hips and pulled her towards her and Opal released a soft little groan, wrapping her own arms around Kuvira’s neck, Korra figured she should probably make herself known.

“Uh, guys?”

They broke apart immediately, staring at Korra with wide and horrified eyes. Opal’s expression faded almost immediately, turning into a smile.

“Korra!” She yelled, running forward. “How are you? Are you in pain? Come, sit down on the couch.”

Reluctantly, Korra followed Opal’s lead, sitting on the cheap couch. Kuvira looked awkward, probably as a result of Korra seeing her and Opal’s kiss, but when Opal indicated for Kuvira to sit next to her, she did so.

“How are you feeling?” Kuvira asked at once, her voice much flatter than a second prior. “Do you remember what we told you, before you passed out?”

“That Asami had put me under a love potion.” Korra replied.

“And you know we were telling the truth?” Opal asked.

Korra nodded. “My… Uh, attraction, to her, it felt… Wrong. Like way too intense, way too quickly. And I’d never seen her at that coffee shop before either, and I go there all the time.” She recalled. “I sort of knew something was up, but I just had no idea what.”

“And you don’t…” Kuvira glanced at Opal uncomfortably. “Feel anything for her anymore?”

Korra thought for a moment, thought about the sinking feeling in her chest, but at how the pain was manageable. Far from unbearable.

“It’s not the same as before.” She said honestly. “Like, not as bad. The feelings, I mean.”

Kuvira grinned. “That’s good! Either the spell has been broken, and these are just side-affects, or the effects are fading away on their own at last.”

Opal smiled at Korra happily.

“This is good news.” She said.

Korra nodded, although it didn’t feel like good news. She felt almost indifferent. What had her life been like before Asami, anyway? Her memory was a little fuzzy when it came to everything that didn’t involve the green-eyed girl.

“So where is Asami?” She asked.

“We just dropped her off at this cute little bistro for a date.” Opal said nonchalantly, standing up and heading over to the small kitchen. Kuvira froze however, watching Korra intently.

_A date?_

Korra bit her lip. Asami was on a date with someone else? Hot tears stung at her eyes before she even had any control over it. Everything suddenly felt really warm in the room as well? Was the heater broken in there? And why was she seeing double of everything?

“Korra, listen,” Kuvira said stepping forward. “Try and breathe steadily.”

“What’s wrong?” Opal called.

Korra stood up abruptly, and made a beeline for the door. She had to bring Asami back from her date. That wasn’t where she was meant to be.

_She was meant to be with Korra._

“Korra!” Kuvira yelled, producing her wand. Korra didn’t reach the door before she felt herself fall to her feet, a metal wire wrapped around her legs. She began to writhe and pant.

_She had to see Asami. She had to see Asami. She had to see Asami._

“What are you doing?” Opal cried at Kuvira, running towards Korra. “What did you…?”

“Metal spell.” Kuvira shrugged. “And look at her. The love potion hasn’t worn off. Look how dilated her eyes are.”

Opal stared into Korra’s eyes curiously, her own pupils dilating a little as she stared at Korra because of the darkness by the front door. Korra stared up at the olive eyes, and furrowed her brows. Those weren’t the eyes she wanted to look at. Where was Asami? She needed Asami!

“They’re black. As big as her whole iris.” Opal observed.

“Classic love potion.” Kuvira nodded. “We should _not_ have told her that she was on a date.” Kuvira said ‘we’ as if it hadn’t been just Opal.

Korra hissed at the witch.

“Let me out!” She cried, as Kuvira’s magic suspended her mid-air. “I need to see her!”

Opal sighed. “Korra, c’mon. This is just the spell. You don’t really need to see her.”

But Korra was already wailing. More tears spilled down her face, hot in the cool air of the apartment, and she cried out as loudly as she could. It quickly became full-on _sobbing_. If Korra had even a drop of shame at all in that moment, she would have been embarrassed.

“We need to call Asami.” Both Opal and Kuvira said at once, before smiling awkwardly at one another.

*

Iroh was as handsome as ever. He had dark silky hair, gorgeous golden eyes, and a jawline to die for. If Asami wasn’t racked with guilt over a certain brunette in a certain rundown apartment, she might be having a better time, but as the situation stood she just couldn’t enjoy herself.

She’d spent the whole week at Korra’s apartment, only going home to pick up school work. For the first time in her whole life, she was sleeping on a couch. There was a good chance that Korra was knocked out cold and couldn’t feel anything at all, but Asami didn’t want to be far away from her in case it _was_ hurting her. She couldn’t be responsible for inflicting even more pain on Korra.

“Asami, you seem distracted?” Iroh said politely, whilst another round of wine was being poured into his glass. Asami had drunk a little already, but she wasn’t trying to get buzzed. What if Korra woke up? She needed to be sober for that.

 _What if she never wakes up?_ The tiny voice in the back of her mind spoke up.

She knew Kuvira would help her cover it up, probably frame Opal for murder or something, or paint Korra as a missing girl and a Republic City mystery. Asami pondered whether she’d get caught.

As far as she knew, the only real link between Korra and Asami was Mako, which was _technically_ a motive, but Asami was a witch and they were humans, so who would really suspect her? Any sensible witch simply wouldn’t care about who their human ex was dating, and the police probably wouldn’t look into it.

Why had she not been a sensible witch?

Instead she’d been ridiculous and petty and childish, and hurt an innocent human life. It would be easier, as well, if Korra wasn’t so sweet and funny and playful. Asami might feel better if she’d done this to a racist or a criminal or something. But no, she’d done it to Southern Water Tribe royalty, and the loveliest girl in Republic City to boot.

“I’m not distracted.” She told Iroh with a honey-sweet smile, trying to keep her mind off of Korra. Did she really just call her the loveliest girl in Republic City? What was _happening_ to her?

“Ah.” Iroh nodded, smirking in that annoying way men do when they thought they knew something she didn’t. “If you say so.”

Asami had half the mind to be annoyed by this comment, but her phone started ringing on the table. She wasn’t going to answer it – she _never_ answered her phones on dates – but what if it was Kuvira, and Korra had woken up? She reached for the device.

“You’re really going to get that?” Iroh asked with raised eyebrows.

Asami flipped her phone over despite his look. She didn’t care about date etiquette in that moment. It was _Kuvira!_

“Hello?”

“ _Asami, Korra has woken up_.” Kuvira was talking quickly, and a noise could be heard in the background. Sounded like an attack helicopter. “ _And she won’t stop crying_!”

“That’s her crying?” Asami asked, ignoring the surprised look on Iroh’s face. “Put her on the phone to me now.”

There was a shuffling noise, and then an unsure, “ _A-Asami_?”

_Korra._

“Korra, yes it’s me.” She said hurriedly, wanting the girl to stop crying more than anything she’d ever wanted before. She grabbed her coat off the back of her chair and put a large amount of yuans down on the table. “This should cover me.” She whispered to Iroh.

“You’re leaving?” He looked shocked. Girls probably didn’t leave him half way through a date very often.

She nodded her head before leaving the restaurant abruptly, not sparing a second to look back or say goodbye properly.

“I’m on my way home now, honey.” She told Korra.

There was a sniffle. “ _You were on a date_.”

Asami felt guilty. She had no reason to feel guilty. Her and Korra weren’t together. She didn’t even like girls! Nevertheless, she found herself apologising.

“I’m sorry, Korra. I’ve just left him. I’m coming back to you now.”

She ordered an sato-uber, eager to see that it would arrive in less than a minute. It must have been parked on the street, or perhaps the next one over.

“ _Coming back to me_.” Korra whispered, so quietly Asami could hardly hear her. At least she wasn’t crying anymore, just sniffing. That made Asami feel a little better.

When the S-U pulled up, she got in the back and gave him Korra’s address.

“ _How long are you going to be_?” Korra asked, and the man from the front of the vehicle told her they’d be there in about five minutes.

“About five minutes.” Asami repeated. There was a pause. “Can you stay on the phone until I get there?” Asami asked.

“ _Yes please_.” Korra whispered, and her voice sounded so _small_ and so _fragile._ Asami felt the guilt seep through to her bones. Everything she did was just hurting Korra. All she’d done was hurt Korra.

“Can you tell me a joke?” She asked, trying to distract the girl.

“ _Kuvira said you don’t like jokes_.”

“But you like them, don’t you?” Asami pressed.

“ _Yes, but_ —”

“Then I like them.” She said firmly. Korra whimpered on the other end of the line. “Now come on. Tell me a joke.”

“ _What type of chicken is the funniest_?” Korra said at once. Asami grinned in the back of the taxi, staring out of the window at the passing streets and tiny flecks of rain. Did this girl _only_ know chicken jokes?

“I don’t know, Korra.”

“ _Comedi-hens_.”

It wasn’t really funny, but the way Korra giggled down the other end of the phone made Asami giggle back. “That was good.” She lied, praying that Kuvira wasn’t sat at the other end of the phone listening to the two of them. “Tell me another.”

“ _What do you call a scary chicken_?”

_Wow, Korra really must have an endless supply of these._

“Not sure.” Asami said.

“ _A_ _poultry-geist.”_ And Korra laughed again, and this time Asami laughed a little louder. The S-U pulled up outside Korra’s apartment, and she handed the man a large amount of yuans before stumbling out, looking up at the apartment building.

She knew Korra’s room number by memory now, number four. It was random to have that number on the fourth floor, but maybe it was normal in human accommodation. Asami didn’t know the rules.

Getting to Korra’s floor was a hurried affair. She stomped up the staircase, still talking to Korra all the while, telling her how many seconds it would be till she got there. Once she had arrived, she stood outside of the door but she didn’t even have to open it before it was thrown open.

Korra thrust herself into Asami’s arms, bringing the girl in tightly. Asami petted the top of her head, noting how the hair was _far_ from soft – probably from being unconscious all week. The blue-eyed girl turned her attention up and smiled widely at Asami.

“I missed you.” She said, as if it was the easiest thing to say in the world.

And Asami had missed her too. There was no point denying it. The entire week she’d been anxious, waiting in desperation for Korra to wake up. Part of it had to be coming from her nearly inevitable doom if Korra never woke up, but part of it was something else. She wasn’t a big hugger, or toucher in general, but when she was with Korra, her body made the time for it.

“Okay, let’s go inside.” She said, by-stepping replying to Korra’s affection. Her feelings towards Korra were totally platonic, so she had to… _be careful,_ not to lead the girl on.

_Not that it will matter once the spell has lifted. She’ll hate you then._

That thought bothered Asami. Korra would hate her then. There was no way to avoid that, either. The love potion made it safe for her now, but once that had faded, Korra would have all of the physical pain that Asami had caused, and none of the emotions to shield it.

Kuvira and Opal weren’t inside the apartment when she got in.

“Where’s…?” She trailed off, noticing the note on the coffee table.

Korra dived onto the couch, snuggling herself under a blanket. “Sit with me.” She asked pleadingly, and Asami nodded, reading the note as she made her way over to the shorter girl.

“Your dog better be locked in that bedroom.” She muttered, and Korra giggled.

“She is.”

The note went as followed:

**_Asami,_ **

**_Take care of Korra tonight._ **

**_O and K_ **

Asami wrinkled her face looking at the short piece of writing. There was no mention of where they’d gone or when exactly they were coming back. Only the implication that tonight, they wouldn’t be home.

“Opal and Kuvira kissed earlier.” Korra said plainly, reaching her hand out and playing with Asami’s palm. “We should kiss tonight.”

“They did _what?!_ ” Asami gasped, ignoring Korra’s little added comment (although her cheeks were pinkening exponentially).

“Kissed. Yah.” Korra nodded, before turning to the television. “You wanna watch a mover? I’m not that tired.”

“They _kissed_?” Asami clarified, astounded. “But they hate each other! Like, Opal hates witches and Kuvira’s job is literally to protect witches. The hatred is practically _fundamental_.”

Korra looked at Asami, a small frown playing on her features. Asami thought Korra’s eyes looked beautiful that night. They got prettier every day, it seemed. So blue and bright and tempting, like tiny pools of sky that Asami would soar through on her broomstick (if she ever used it).

“Sometimes,” Korra said softly, “You can’t control who you want. Doesn’t matter what they are, or who they are. Your heart chose them.”

Asami had to look away. She couldn’t possibly look into Korra’s eyes for another moment.

“The heart can choose the wrong person, sometimes.” She said. Asami wondered if Korra knew she was talking about her choosing Asami.

“My heart didn’t choose you.” Korra said at once. She _had_ understood. “Your magic did.”

Asami flinched, expecting to be thrown into a fit of agony, but of course nothing came.

“You know that and you still act like this.” Asami gestured to the lack of space between them. “That’s not clever, Korra.”

Korra shrugged. “I can hate you when it wears off. Right now, all I know is that being away from you hurts. That my need for you trumps everything.”

Asami knew it was the love potion. She _knew_ Korra wasn’t in the right frame of mind to say any of this. But even so, her heart beat a little quicker and a warmth grew in her chest, in a place where warmth hadn’t grown for a very long time.

 _I’m just not used to this_ , she assured herself _, all guys want is to get in my pants. This isn’t like that. That’s why I feel like this._

Korra picked a mover about a car race, obviously hoping that Asami would enjoy it. And she did. Unable to help it, she unironically loved every second of the film, pointing out all the small incorrect engineering details and correcting the drivers’ lingo. It helped that Korra’s eyes were wide and glossy with admiration every time she said anything.

Once the mover had finished, and Korra had curled up into Asami’s side and was dozing in and out of sleep, Asami turned off the television. She had been stroking the top of Korra’s hair absent-mindedly, not even aware of it herself, but when she noticed she jerked her hand away.

“Korra…” She whispered. The girl nuzzled closer to Asami. “Let’s get you to bed, okay?”

“Don’t go home. Me. Be with me. In my bed.” Korra mumbled, and Asami felt her cheeks pinken.

 _She doesn’t mean it like that, idiot!_ Asami wasn’t even sure what _that_ looked like, when it happened between two girls. Kuvira had drawn diagrams in the past, mostly to make fun of Asami’s innocence, but she couldn’t remember any of it for the _life_ of her.

“Do you want me to stay on the couch?” She offered. “Then I can be here when you wake up.”

Korra opened her eyes, staring lazily up at Asami. The brilliant blue of Korra’s eyes, especially against her dark skin, never failed to impress her. She shook her head slightly. “Nu-uh. Bed.”

“You want me to… go to bed with you?” Asami said slowly, and realisation dawned on Korra’s features.

“Just to cuddle.” Korra said quickly. “I know you don’t like girls like that! Or me! And I know it’s just—”

“Korra, hey.” Asami reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Korra’s face, soothing the girl who had gone into panic-mode. She would have to braid it later. “Come on. I’ll take you to bed then, shall I?”

The girl nodded eagerly and Asami took her hand, intertwining their fingers, before leading Korra to the bedroom. It was smaller and less homely than Asami’s room, but it smelt heavily of Korra, and the dog that slept soundly at the foot of the bed wasn’t half so threatening when it was asleep.

“Do you want me to kick out Naga?” Korra asked in a quiet voice.

Asami shook her head, opening the covers for Korra to slip in. The shorter girl eagerly obliged, and once Asami had walked around the other side and slotted herself in as well, warmth was immediately pressed against her.

“Is this okay?” Korra asked in a breath. Her head was _almost_ in the crook of Asami’s neck, and she moved forward so Korra was finally completely entangled with her.

“Yes, it’s fine.” Asami paused. “It helps you right?”

_Because that was why she was doing this. That was the only reason._

Korra let out a hum of agreement, and Asami relaxed, wrapping her legs around Korra’s and sinking into the hold. She wasn’t sure what it was that Korra smelled like. Maybe it was the sea? She was from a water tribe after all. But it was sweeter as well, like flowers or fruit or syrup.

“Whatcha thinking about?” The soft voice against Asami’s throat made her shudder.

“Class.” She lied. Korra didn’t respond, so Asami asked, “What about you?”

Korra snuggled further into Asami’s side. “My mom… I miss her.”

 _Asami knew that feeling_.

Sympathetically, she rubbed Korra’s back up and down, and smiled when the girl let out a little whimper of delight. There was something very _right_ about all of this, but Asami couldn’t pinpoint what it was that she liked so much (and she was also certain she didn’t want to know).

“I miss my mom too.” Asami whispered.

Korra pulled back, a look of guilt crossing over her face. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking…”

Asami shook her head softly at Korra, who looked positively distraught. Without thinking about it, she leant forward and placed a gentle kiss to the soft skin of Korra’s forehead. The expression on Korra’s face changed to one of embarrassment, a heavy red darkening her cheeks.

“Um…” She breathed out.

“You’re okay, I was just saying that I understand your sadness.” Asami pulled Korra back into her side, this time stroking the girl’s hair, enjoying the way Korra eased against her. “You’re seeing her soon, though, right?”

“For university break.”

Asami gulped nervously. _She had thought so_.

“Then you don’t have to miss her. Instead, look forward to seeing her.” She whispered into Korra’s ear, and steadily the girl nodded. Asami hoped Korra would take her advice.

“…What if I’m still… Like this?” She whispered. “If I’m still in love with you.”

_In love with you._

Why did those words make Asami’s heart beat at a million miles per hour? The answer to that question was becoming crystal clear as the seconds went by…

_But she did this!_

She made Korra fall in love with her. The girl didn’t actually love Asami. It was just the product of a spell, and an unsuccessful one at that. Not that it felt unsuccessful.

“I promise you won’t be, okay honey?” The nickname slipped out again, but Asami didn’t mind it so much. There were worse things to call the girl that was in love with you, after all. And Korra must have liked it, because her grip around Asami’s waist tightened.

“You promise…?” Korra looked up at Asami again, with those big blue eyes and pouted lips, and Asami was overcome with the want to kiss Korra. Instead, she looked up to her ceiling and let out a long puff of air.

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> monday update! i'm currently staying in scotland and saw some fluffy cows :) also i hope you liked the chapter <3


	6. HOW TO RIDE A BROOMSTICK

The next day, Asami awoke with a mouth full of hair. Hair that wasn’t even hers. It was too short to be hers, and nowhere near as soft. She let out a low groan, rolling onto her back, feeling all of the aches and strains in her bones and muscles. _I need a spa day,_ she thought, _maybe Kuvira will come with me_.

A warmth she hadn’t noticed a second ago, one she’d got on her stomach, followed the transition. At first, Asami thought it was just the covers, but it was far too heavy to be just a duvet.

_What if it’s that ratchet dog…?_

She opened her eyes groggily, her eyelids heavy with sleep. The heat was familiar. Body heat. A certain blue-eyed girl’s body heat.

“Korra?”

“Mhm.” Korra was wide awake, smiling down at Asami. Asami was barely up, but the sight of Korra that early in the morning, with her pretty eyes and cute nose and… _Oh god, what was she saying?_

More importantly, what had Korra been _doing?_

“Were you watching me sleep?” She smirked. That would probably be weird in other circumstances, but as usual, Asami was nothing less than flattered. Love potion, or not.

Korra shrugged. “Maybe.”

At this point she knew that she couldn’t weird Asami out. The girl had literally tried to scratch through her front door during the night after all.

“Creepy.” Asami teased, before sitting up and shifting so Korra was straddled on her thighs. _I’m still half asleep_ , she told herself. That was why this was okay. That was why this didn’t feel completely terrible. Felt good, even.

“For you, maybe a little.” Korra admitted sheepishly, and Asami chuckled, leaning her head back against the pillow and enjoying the leisurely up and down motion of having someone breathing on top of you.

When she looked at Korra properly again, tilting her head up, she was pulling this strange face. Her eyes were half-lidded, and her lips, tan and puffy, were parted slightly. Before Asami knew what was happening, there was a hand around the back of her neck, and a _beautiful_ face slowly coming towards her. There was no other way to describe Korra, really. Beautiful was the right word.

She should have pushed away. Or just stayed completely still. Both of those options were appropriate, and viable, and _the right thing to do_. Those options she could explain to herself. Asami had already done so much wrong, after all. Hurt Korra so relentlessly, and kissing her in _these_ conditions? That would only hurt her more, in the end.

But with that in mind, what was a little more hurt? Would it make a difference?

Korra wasn’t even surprised when Asami leant forward, softly brushing their lips together. At least, Asami didn’t think she was surprised. She sank into the kiss, her arms pulling the girl beneath her closer, but it didn’t deepen. It wasn’t like their first kiss – that had been a little messy, and at a funny angle. Electrifying all the same, of course, but _this_ kiss? This was full of something else. Something that sparked in a different way.

Asami could smell Korra, and she was _sure_ the something sweet mixed in with the salt of her skin was lavender. Positive, almost. Korra smelled like night’s well slept.

Eventually, the two pulled apart. The kiss would probably still classify as chaste, hardly speeding up from that original slow pace and certainly not deepening. Asami wouldn’t have had it any other way. She wasn’t even going to think about what it mean. Korra wasn’t either, thankfully.

“Can we stay at yours?” She asked. “I prefer it there.”

They _shouldn’t_. It wasn’t good for the love potion. The side affects might worsen. Her dad might be there. A hundred other reasons ran through Asami’s head as to why they should definitely stay here. But, at the same time, how on _Earth_ was Asami meant to say no to Korra’s little pouty face?

“Okay. C’mon then.” She stood up, holding her hand out for Korra who took it gratefully, pulling herself to her feet beside the bed.

“Your hands are soft.” Korra said quietly, as Asami led her from the room. Her cheeks blushed, but she didn’t say anything back.

She didn’t want to give Korra the wrong idea. It wasn’t like Asami liked Korra. Not in that way.

Plus, the effects of the love potion were temporary. What Asami was doing was practically _unethical_. If her mother wasn’t already turning over in her grave from the malpractice of the potion, then she was now, after that kiss. Guilt plagued Asami heavily.

Asami couldn’t help but think that was a shame, that Yasuko wouldn’t be okay with this, since her fun-loving mother would have loved how fun Korra was.

It was breakfast time, and Korra was clearly hungry. Asami used her wand to cook up some eggs, whilst she talked mildly about her classes and her father and her whole life, enjoying the way that Korra listened intently. Like she cared. Because she _did_ care, Asami reminded herself. For now at least.

“Do you think Naga and Mecha would be friends?” Korra asked curiously, petting the _hulk_ of a dog at her feet affectionately. Asami gave it a slight look of distaste.

“He’s only a kitten so… I don’t know.” She said honestly. _Let’s not find out._

Korra shrugged. “Maybe one day.”

Asami knew in her heart of hearts that that day would never come, that there was a _timer_ on all of this, on her knowing Korra, but she decided to push that thought away. For now, technically, it didn’t matter. Korra loved her right then and there, and that was enough.

Not that she loved Korra back. Not even close. Asami was sure she didn’t know what love felt like.

“Shall we head to mine then?” She asked, after she watched Korra demolish her eggs and bacon. Korra nodded eagerly, hopping up and placing another kiss on Naga’s head. The beast yapped in delight, and Asami rolled her eyes.

_How could anybody like dogs?_

The drive to Asami’s house was peaceful. An idiot in front of her had stepped on their break suddenly, and she’d thrusted out her arm to protect Korra in case of collision. There was no collision, only a frightened Korra. Once the danger was over, she’d relaxed her hand on Korra’s thigh, and neither of them had minded. Korra told her chicken jokes for the whole ten minutes, and Asami pretended that she didn’t secretly enjoy them.

(“ _Why did the rubber chicken cross the road?”_

_“I already know this is going to be bad.”_

_“Come on!”_

_“Okay. Fine. I don’t know. Why did the rubber chicken cross the road?”_

_“To stretch her legs!”_

_Korra laughed, and Asami decided that even though the joke was awful, that sound made it worth it)._

She opened Korra’s door for her with the manual pad at the front of the car, and watched with a smile as Korra – hyperactive as always – immediately started hopping from stepping stone to stepping stone up to the front of her cottage, singing an old nursery rhyme that Asami recalled only fuzzily. She imagined Korra was popular in school, especially when she was younger.

“I love it here!” She called out, back to Asami in the car who was watching and biting back a smile as hard as she could.

The warm feeling in her chest didn’t leave when she got out of the car. It didn’t go away when she entered the house with Korra, and hung up her coat, all the while Korra asked about her witch’s hat and cloak and magic. She still felt warm when Korra picked up Mecha and played with him on the couch. The feeling practically _strengthened_ when Korra kissed the top of her kitten’s head, giggling when he tossed and turned in her gentle grip.

“Having a good time there?” Asami teased, a smirk on her lips.

“The best.” Korra replied sincerely. Always so honest. If Asami didn’t like that about Korra, she’d probably hate it.

“What would you like to do?”

“Anything, if it’s with you.” Korra was still focussed on Mecha, having no clue at all just how her words affected the witch, and Asami tried with all her might to push down the warmth. The _stupid_ warmth. Korra seemed to decide on something, because she sat up and turned to Asami. “Actually, I want to ride your broom.”

And Asami knew she must _really_ want to do that, since Korra found it so hard to ask for anything.

That was the reason she agreed, because she really did hate her broom. She would always very much rather not ride it. But saying no to Korra was… Verging on impossible at this point.

“Okay.” Asami agreed.

Korra lit up, and _god, it was worth it. That smile made it worth it._

“Really?” She cried, and Asami nodded.

“Come on.” The broomstick was propped against the staircase in the alcove. It was actually developing a layer of dust, enclosing it like a forcefield, which wasn’t surprising. She was a little slack with household chores, since she hardly ever left a mess, and it had been a long time since she dusted. Inwardly, she set herself a reminder to do that once Korra was asleep.

“We haven’t heard from Kuvira and Opal.” Korra said, approaching the broom and eyeing it with sparkly eyes. “Should we call them?”

Asami was about to say, _we definitely should not_ , knowing full well what Kuvira and Opal were up to (having seen what happened at Kuvira’s apartment first-hand) but the way Korra bit her lip nervously made her change her mind.

“I’ll text Kuvira. Just to be on the safe side.” She said, and Korra nodded, the anxiety on her features fading away.

**Kuvira**

Are you okay? Korra’s worried about

you two.

I don’t want to tell her what you’re up

to, in case she still wants to keep her

innocence.

“There.” She said, putting her phone away. “Done it.”

Korra was already pawing at the broom, running the thick branches at the end of it through her fingers. “You can seriously fly this thing?” She asked.

“Mhm.”

“ _Seriously?_ ”

“I mean, it’s been a while. But yeah.” She laughed. The admiration on Korra’s face was delightful, her excitement practically _palpable_.

Asami picked up the broom, shaking off any dust, and felt the balance of the vehicle in her arms. It wasn’t an car, she knew that much, but it was still familiar in it’s own way, the sturdy wood feeling firm in her hands. She wasn’t looking forward to flying it though.

“I guess I can’t fly it on my own.” Korra thought aloud, as Asami guided them both to her backyard.

“Nu-uh.” Asami shook her head. “Powered by magic.”

“Makes sense.” Korra nodded.

“But you can ride with me just fine.” Asami added, hoping Korra wasn’t too disappointed.

Korra grinned broadly. _She isn’t. Good._

“I’m excited now.”

“I can tell.” Asami chuckled, pulling the broom in between her legs. She was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, the outfit she’d changed into after her date the night before, so not exactly her cloak and certainly not flying gear, but it would have to do. “Go in front of me.” She ordered, gesturing to the part of the broom that was in front of her thighs.

“Should I not go behind?” Korra asked tentatively, looking up and down the two metres of stick.

“If you want to fall off and die, then sure.” Asami muttered, before flushing. That was a little _too_ harsh. To her shock, Korra just laughed.

“Point taken.” She said, slipping into the space in front of Asami. She was immediately whisked away to that morning, to the smell of lavender and salt, to soft lips, to hands at the back of her neck pulling her towards—

“Asami?” Korra turned around, and now they really were _close_. And Asami wanted to kiss her again.

But this time, she didn’t bite back her want. After all, she had already kissed her. So she could do it again, without it making the situation any worse.

Right?

She jutted forward a small bit, and kissed Korra’s lips. The blue-eyed girl blushed brightly, before whipping around to face the front of the broom again. Embarrassed, maybe. Asami knew the feeling.

“O-Okay.” Korra croaked, taken by surprise.

Asami wrapped her arms around Korra, holding the broomstick in front of her, so Korra was completely secure inside her arms. It wasn’t _necessary_ , as such, but it certainly helped. And she couldn’t pretend that it didn’t feel good.

“I’m going to lift off in three seconds, okay honey?” Asami whispered, and she heard Korra mumble some sort of confirmation. “Okay. Three… Two… One!”

On one, she pushed up with her legs, channelling all the magic she could muster into her legs and into that first jump. They flew upwards, and naturally her magic started to funnel down the broom and glide them forwards. It was like riding a bike. A very long, thin, wooden bike that could give you splinters. And once you learnt how to ride one, you could always do it.

Korra was screeching in glee, pressed heavily into Asami’s front and crying out every time Asami sped up a little bit.

“This is – _Woah_! – So fun!” A bird zoomed past them, and Asami rotated the broom to follow it, dodging around a pair of fluffy clouds.

“It is.” Asami whispered, as they finally caught up with the bird and Korra yelled out in triumph. She noticed the toned muscles of the girl’s back, but didn’t say anything. She just stayed silent for the whole venture, watching Korra. It was it’s own triumph in a way. Korra was pretty to look at.

They soared around in the sky for another twenty-five minutes, Asami intensely enjoying the feeling of Korra against her front. The girl would yelp in glee, especially when Asami sped up, but if she was being honest with herself she couldn’t keep this up forever. This sort of magic took practise, and if there was anything that Asami didn’t have, it was practise in magic.

She had no _idea_ how she’d managed to last this long. They were verging on half an hour in the air, which was something supposedly achievable only be experienced flyers.

 _That has to be a myth,_ Asami decided. _Probably to keep the sky clearer._

“Can we go back down?” Korra turned around on the broomstick, and looked hopefully at Asami.

Her face was a little green, and she was probably a tad motion sick. Asami was concerned, but her concern grew tenfold when Korra turned back around a little too quickly and slipped through Asami’s hold, falling down to the ground below.

A moment passed, and Asami was just staring. Staring in pure _horror_ , as the tiny figure of Korra became smaller and smaller as she plummeted to the ground below.

And then, far too late for her own liking, she sprang into action, shooting downwards at twice the speed Korra was bound to be falling. They were pretty high up, and it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds since she fell, and at last Korra was near enough for Asami to whip out her wand and—

“ _Vocatus!_ ” She called, and Korra came flying up towards her, hitting Asami square in the front.

 _That’s one way to do it,_ she thought.

They weren’t far from the ground now, and they were actually above her front lawn, so she pulled Korra, who was shaking in her arms, down to the ground with her and laid her on the grass. The girl looked up at Asami with wide and scared eyes, before all of that vanished at once.

“That was _so cool!_ ” She beamed. “Can we do that again?”

Asami, who hadn’t noticed just how fast her own heart had been racing, let out a spluttered smile. “You’re insane.” She murmured, which only made Korra smile more brightly.

“It seems that way, huh?” She picked herself up and brushed herself down. Asami noticed the strong muscles in her arms and looked away, hiding a blush. Had Korra always been this _ripped?_ She would have remembered if she was, wouldn’t she?

“Do you work out?” She asked, hoping she sounded casual as she picked up her broomstick and began to trail her way back to the cottage. Korra jogged to keep up.

“Yeah, a bit.” Korra nodded. “I like the gym. Haven’t been since… Yeah. I like the gym.”

 _I can tell_. That was what Asami wanted to say. She didn’t, though.

Once they’d got inside the cottage and Korra had set herself down on the couch, making herself at home, Asami checked her phone.

“Kuvira’s replied.” She said.

“Whaz’ it say?” Korra mumbled, and Asami looked up to see the girl pressing kisses all over Mecha’s head. The kitten seemed a little bit more content in Korra’s hold than it had been earlier. And he was letting her _kiss_ him. She hardly let Asami do that.

Korra must have a way with animals.

“She wants to know if we want to go with her and Opal to dinner tomorrow night?” Asami squinted, making sure she’d read the message right. The crazy part was that she _had_.

“Like a double date?” Korra asked, as Asami made her way into the living room and plucked Mecha out of Korra’s hold.

Asami couldn’t exactly tell Korra that she wasn’t interested in girls that way, after she’d kissed her twice that day. That wouldn’t even have made sense to her, and it definitely wouldn’t make any sense to Korra. Plus, she sort of, maybe, just a little bit, _was_ interested in Korra. As awful as that was to admit.

“I guess so.” Again, Asami tried to implement a casual, I’m-indifferent-about-this tone, setting Mecha down next to his bowl and spooning out some cat food for him. She wasn’t sure if she pulled it off, but Korra didn’t say anything if she didn’t.

“What shall I wear?” Korra asked, more to herself than Asami.

“Oh, I think I have something for you.”

“Your clothes?”

Asami turned to the shorter girl, who’s eyes were wide and dilated with want.

“Yeah. My clothes.” Asami nodded softly, and she tried her absolute _hardest_ not to enjoy the way Korra was looking at her.

Korra nodded again, scanning the room looking for Mecha. He was pawing at his food, and she scampered over to play with him. Asami watched fondly.

“You like cats, huh?” Asami asked. She’d already asked Korra this, but it was just too _damn_ adorable for her not to comment.

“Mm.” Korra giggled, as Mecha began to lightly scratch at her knee. “I like all animals.”

“Be careful he doesn’t hurt you.” Asami said, approaching the pair.

Korra picked up Mecha under his arms and held him up to Asami, a broad smile playing on her cheeks. He sat in her hold comfortably, staring up at his owner as if to say, _I like this one._

“He’s not gonna hurt me. We’re already best friends.” Korra beamed.

It was Asami’s turn to giggle, and she ruffled Korra’s hair. “You are, are you?”

If Mecha became attached to Korra, he might become sad when he couldn’t see her anymore. Asami was aware of this, and as a witch to a familiar, she _should_ take him off Korra and keep them apart, but… Well, she just couldn’t. Not when it was this cute.

“Sami?” Korra said, after a few minutes. “I’m a little sleepy.”

Not surprising. Korra was always sleepy. Asami hoped that wasn’t because of the potion.

“You wanna go to bed?” Asami said, and it came out almost like a _coo_.

Korra looked unsure.

“It won’t hurt, I promise.” Asami said. She wasn’t going to sleep in the same bed as Korra again. The lines between ethical and unethical were blurring heavily, and she didn’t want people to think she had a _love slave_.

 _Who’s going to find out? Just do it. You want to, after all._ The little voice in the back of her head whispered, but she pushed it away. She was the daughter of Yasuko, _The Good Witch._ She couldn’t just abuse her magic like this.

So, she was going to sit outside the spare bedroom all night. That was what her mother would have wanted her to do.

“You promise?” Korra held out her pinkie, and Asami took it immediately.

Blue eyes approached, and a soft kiss was pressed against their connecting pinkies. Korra’s lips were light as a feather, and yet it still managed to send Asami’s stomach into an eruption of butterflies. Ignoring the fluttering, Asami smiled. “I promise.”

“You have to kiss it too.” Korra said seriously.

Asami blinked.

“I do?”

“Of course.”

The smile on Korra’s lips was too hard to resist. “Fine.” She sighed, pretending to sound less eager than she actually was. She kissed Korra’s knuckle lightly, enjoying the feeling of warm skin under her lips.

“Let’s go to the spare room, then.” Asami ushered Korra up the stairs. Thankfully, she didn’t ask why she couldn’t share with Asami again. Maybe she understood. Asami wasn’t even sure if she’d have an answer to that question, or if she’d just get in bed with Korra.

She laid Korra in the soft bed, after brushing her hair and putting it into braids again. The whole time Asami was doing Korra’s hair, Korra stayed completely still, and from the look on her face Asami could tell that Korra was enjoying herself.

“I’ll be right outside, if you need me.” Asami told Korra, taking a loose strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear. She leant down, kissing Korra’s cheek. Korra squirmed under the touch, a smile spreading on her face.

“You’re pretty, Sami.” Korra said. Her voice was sleepy.

Asami didn’t know _why_ she was blushing. People called her pretty all the time.

“So are you, Korra.” Asami whispered genially.

It took only a few more minutes for Korra to fall asleep. She really must have been tired, even though she’d only been awake for a handful of hours. Asami worried that the love potion was affecting her general health – magic could be very draining for humans after all.

She let out a long sigh, before moving to sit outside of the spare room. Her back pressed into the wooden door, and she tucked her chin over her knees, closing her eyes and listening to the soft snores coming from where Korra was sleeping.

Slowly, easily, Asami drifted into a dreamless sleep.

At some point in the night, she felt a weight on top of her body. She opened her eyes, seeing chestnut hair and dark skin, and fingers and legs, but she was too sleepy to really make anything out. After a second, though, she felt a soft bed underneath her, and her body relaxed all on its own.

Asami felt a softness against her lips, before sleep fully overtook her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm getting busy again properly starting on wednesday, but i'm going to try to publish this fic once a week like i have been doing :) i hope you liked the chapter!
> 
> also i got tumblr but idk how to link it lol


	7. HOW TO DO A DOUBLE DATE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this is a little late!! life hasn't been the easiest lately. i'm okay!! just super busy and stressed.

The sight of Korra in Asami’s clothes was, to put it simply, awe-inspiring.

She understood, in that moment the poets and the writers and all the artists, who found their muse, even for just a moment, and could never let them go. Who was that artist, the one who saw their muse in the street for only a brief second, and painted them for the rest of their life? Asami couldn’t recall, but in that moment, she knew the feeling. If she saw Korra in the street, decked in _her_ clothes, she’d probably paint her forever and ever as well.

“You look good.” She complimented. Understatement of the _year_.

She was wearing a white dress, one that Asami looked washed out in and never wore, and the darkness of Korra’s skin against the colour made her curves stand out. The cut was low, and the dress hugged Korra in _all_ of the right places, and Asami wasn’t _attracted to women_ (maybe), but she could certainly tell when one looked good. Her eyes trailed down the outline of her figure without her even telling them to.

Even Asami’s jewellery was decked onto Korra; she was wearing golden earrings and a golden necklace, and those high heels… Asami felt like she was on a date with a supermodel.

“Do I? I’m not sure…” Korra asked nervously, chewing at her lip.

“Would I lie to you?” Asami teased, and Korra shot her a look.

She helped Korra into her SUV rather than the other way around, contrary to their previous date, and Asami couldn’t help but think she liked it this way. Like being that girl for Korra. Being Korra’s date, rather than just being on a date.

 _What are you even thinking about right now?_ She scolded herself. _Chill out._

Once they were in the car, Korra immediately began rambling on about Opal, and her other friend, and how she had met them both at uni and how she missed them ‘so so _so_ much’. She didn’t bring up Mako, but she wasn’t very subtle about it, dancing around the subject of another person in her little group. Asami didn’t much mind. As far as she was concerned, Mako was a figure from the past.

That was one thing an accidental feral potion had taught her. Perspective.

The restaurant Kuvira and Opal had sent them directions to was one of the nicest in town, hence the attire. Asami usually dressed up for dates, so this was nothing new to her, but she had to admit that dressing up _for_ Korra had been fun. She’d picked out a red shoulderless dress, with a slit up the leg, pairing it with deep red makeup that had Korra looking over at her every few minutes, smiling broadly with a blush on her cheeks.

There was nothing like an ego boost, after all.

“We’re waiting for two.” Asami told the man at the front desk. “Kuvira and Opal?”

“Right this way.” The man nodded, guiding them towards a well-lit booth. Opal and Kuvira were already there, and if Asami’s eyes weren’t deceiving her, they were positively _flirting_. It was surprising, to say in the least.

Kuvira’s hand was on Opal’s thigh, her forehead on Opal’s shoulder, and she was laughing at the top of her lungs at something Opal was saying. The shorter girl was laughing as well, but her eyes were still watching Kuvira with a level of fondness that had definitely _not_ been there before. A lot could change overnight, apparently.

“Uh, guys?” Asami raised an eyebrow, and Kuvira jumped, sitting up from Opal’s shoulder but still remaining tremendously close to the girl. Korra didn’t seem to think anything odd was happening at all, sliding in right next to Opal and immediately telling her about the broomstick ride.

“She let you ride the broomstick?” Kuvira gaped, turning to Asami with wide eyes.

Asami shrugged, smiling at Korra bashfully and taking a seat next to the girl. As soon as she sat down, Korra’s arm went around the back of her neck, and even though Kuvira’s open jaw became a little more open, Asami couldn’t pretend she wasn’t enjoying the hold. It was possessive, and Asami would always shrug a date off when they did something like that, but it only made her feel safe in Korra’s arms.

(Which was dumb, because she was a witch and Korra was a human, and if anything she was what made Korra safe… She liked the idea of that, as well).

“Mhm!” Korra smiled. “And it was _crazy_. We were up there for like, half an hour, and we were flying around, chasing birds. At one point there was even a plane that I was _sure_ we’d crash into, but Sami just rode us beside it and I waved to all the passengers and… Wow, it was so much fun.”

The restaurant was classy, and a few people, all dressed in suits and ties and gowns, glanced over to see who was talking so loudly, but Asami couldn’t even bring herself to care. She was ,ore interested in the sound of Korra’s voice, and the rich scent of food and perfume surrounding them. She’d _missed_ dates like this.

Once Korra had finished, Opal turned to Kuvira, who was still very much looking aghast at Asami (seemingly her taking anyone on a broomstick was too shocking to get over, as if they both weren’t witches), and said, “I want to ride your broomstick.”

Kuvira turned back to her ­girlfriend (maybe girlfriend? Asami didn’t know yet. She’d have to ask.), and smirked. “I think you already did that.”

“Oh! Ew!” Asami groaned, and Korra looked at her curiously.

“What are they talking about?” She asked with big blue eyes.

“Nothing, honey.” Asami said quickly, pulling Korra closer to her by the waist, as if that would make Korra hear less. They must not have an excellent sexual education down in the South. Actually, now that Asami thought about it, that made a lot of sense. The witches couldn’t even live there (Kya being the exception) because of how traditional everything was.

“ _Honey?_ ” It looked like Kuvira couldn’t hold her tongue.

Asami shrugged sheepishly, and Kuvira glowered at her. Asami hadn’t expected her to be angry, but it was obvious she was. What was she even angry about? The potion?

Probably the potion,

“Yeah, it’s what Sami calls me.” Korra grinned. “I like it a lot.”

Kuvira looked shocked, and Asami _really_ didn’t want to go down this line of questioning, her cheeks burning at Korra’s comment. The other witch probably thought Asami was using Korra as her love slave (which she practically _was_ ).

Korra was smiling, though. Which distracted Asami enough.

“Anyway,” She changed the subject. “What is going on with you two? What is… Uh, _this._ ” She gestured at how the two were sitting, and there obvious new closeness.

Kuvira and Opal made eye-contact, smiling awkwardly.

“We’re fucking.” They both said at once. A silence followed, and you could have heard a penny drop.

Asami rolled her eyes. “Well, here are my congratulations. I hope you make each other very happy.”

“Oh, we do.” Opal grinned. “We really do. _Very happy_.”

Her implications weren’t even subtle, and Asami rolled her eyes for the second time in twenty seconds.

“We need to fuck soon.” Korra said absently, before running her finger down the menu and scanning each item. Her eyebrows were creased, as she tried to choose what she wanted. Asami’s eyebrows, on the other hand, were high up in the air, her face bright pink. “I might have the fish.” Korra added.

Asami could barely breathe.

_Had Korra just said that? Did she think about Asami like that?_

“You always have the fish.” Opal muttered, her eyes wide and trained on Asami. Kuvira was pulling the same expression, and Asami couldn’t blame them. Of course, love potions increased sexual desire but that had never been a problem for Korra. They’d all silently assumed it was a problem of closeness, and not one of sexual intimacy.

Yet another silence followed, and Asami was sure she could see steam coming out of Kuvira’s ears.

“Asami, can you come with me to the bathroom?” Kuvira snapped, green eyes burning as if they were on fire. “ _Now?_ ”

There was no getting out of this one. Asami gulped.

“Sure, of course.” She stood up, placing a kiss on Korra’s head because, _she may as well,_ and followed Kuvira to the bathroom.

Was it just her, or was this bathroom obnoxiously far away? The restaurant was gleaming, red carpets, bright chandeliers, esteemed patrons, but nothing could distract Asami from the hammering in her heart. She didn’t feel as at home on her date then, not with Kuvira leering over her.

Kuvira was going to be _so_ mad.

When they (finally) got to the bathroom, Kuvira checked each stall, making sure they were empty before turning to Asami. Her face said it all.

“Look, Kuvira—”

“Don’t _look Kuvira_ me!” She cried, mocking Asami’s outer-city accent. “What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing? She’s under a _love potion_. And you… You…”

Asami decided to play dumb.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t, _Sami?_ ” Kuvira demanded, this time mocking Korra’s voice. “Why don’t you go ask your _honey?_ ”

“You can hardly talk!” Asami yelled back. “I thought you hated Opal! Since, you know, Opal hates witches. And you love witches so much you’d die for them. What, is that something your willing to, _put aside?_ For some pussy?”

“ _Opal,_ ” Kuvira roared, and Asami decided in that moment she probably shouldn’t have gone there. “ _Isn’t under a love potion._ ”

Asami knew Kuvira was right. She knew that what she was doing was wrong. There wasn’t really much left to argue about.

It was wrong. Wrong to even talk to Korra. It was all a manipulation on her part, and Korra’s feelings weren’t true, and not even the horrible sadness inside her could make them true.

She slouched against the sink of the bathroom, frowning deeply.

“I’m really fucked, Kuv.” She breathed out.

Kuvira’s anger seemed to ebb away a little bit. She sighed, running her hands through her hair. “You are. It was one thing when it was all an accident, something that had just gotten out of hand… But now, the court might not see it that way.”

Asami jumped. “The _court?_ You’re taking me to the court?”

“What choice do I have?” Kuvira shot back, slamming her fist against the porcelain sink. “My job is on the line, now.”

“My _life_ is on the line.”

And it hit Asami all at once. She was going to _die_.

There wasn’t any way out of this. She’d cast a love potion, which had gone feral because she used a forbidden spell. Instead of reporting it straight away, she hadn’t done anything. She’d _used it._ She didn’t even _know_ it was feral because she was such an incompetent witch, until it had all gone way too far.

At the start of all of this mess, maybe she’d just have got a smack on the wrist. She could have said it was an accident, said she might have been cursed or that it was leftover from the forbidden magic she’d done as a teenager. The court knew about that. That had been her _warning_. And she only got a warning because of her mother.

Witches don’t _get_ two warnings.

“I know.” Kuvira said. “So, what do you want to do? I think our best bet now is killing Korra, casting a memory spell on Opal, and leaving no evidence.”

“ _No._ ” Asami shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

“Don’t let your _feelings_ get in the way of this. This is your life, we’re talking about.” Kuvira hissed. Asami was surprised she could be so remorseless over Opal. Then again, it was probably just sex to Kuvira. It was _always,_ just sex to Kuvira. “We don’t have time for feelings. Do you _want to die?_ ”

“I promised Korra she’d get to see her mother again, and that she’d be okay when she did. No love potion shenanigans. So, I don’t have a choice. It’s not…” She paused, sighing. “It’s not about feelings.”

Kuvira scoffed. “I’m sure you can break one measly promise. You’ve done it before. To people you’ve known for a lot longer.”

Asami winced, understanding what her friend was alluding to.

“It was a blood promise. My promise to Korra. I can’t break it.” Asami said quickly. It was a lie, but one that was going to save Korra’s life, so she could make do with it.

“It was a _what?_ Asami, you have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not.” Another lie, but it sort of came with the first one so it wasn’t that bad. “So, killing Korra isn’t an option.”

“ _Fine._ ” Kuvira groaned. “Fine. But I’m pretty sure you know what the only other option is. And I hate it. Like, I _hate_ it. But what else is there?”

Asami shrugged. “They might not kill me.”

Kuvira didn’t look convinced.

“Maybe we can play the Yasuko card?” She offered. Her mother was the greatest witch of all time, or something along those lines.

“Didn’t you already _play_ that card? When you were seventeen?”

They fell silent.

There was a lot on Asami’s mind. And yet, really, only one thing as well.

Korra.

She’d already done so much wrong to Korra. _So much wrong_. She couldn’t keep it up. She had to do one thing right, at least _once_.

“It’s funny, really.” Asami mumbled. Kuvira looked up at her questioningly, as if to say, ‘ _what about this is funny?’_.

“My mother was _The Good Witch_. A Great One, and the one known for being _good._ For saving lives, for never casting a forbidden spell in her life. And she even gave it all up, gave up her magic, so she could be my mother.”

“I didn’t know that.” Kuvira admitted.

A witch giving up her magic wasn’t unheard of, but it was rare.

“I don’t tell too many people.” Asami replied simply. “My dad and her were _praying_ for a human child. She gave up her magic to strengthen the chances. They wanted me to live a normal life, to not live in a cottage but to live in a _home_ , and to spend my days studying for exams or _whatever_ humans do. And then they got _me._ ” She laughed dryly.

“Casting forbidden spells at six, and even worse, being _good_ at them. My father making me settle for fire spells, because as destructive as they are, at least they’re not going to put me in prison for using them. I struggle with the _easiest_ spells, Kuvira. I can barely make dinner, some nights. And my mother literally stopped _tsunamis._ Singlehandedly.”

“I’ve seen your magic, if I’m honest.” Kuvira replied. “You weren’t very good at practical lessons in high school.”

“I wasn’t.” Asami said with a smile. “Still got valedictorian though.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Sucks to be _you_.” Asami laughed, before her smile fell off her face again. “My mother would fucking hate me, probably.”

“I doubt it.” Kuvira replied honestly. “You are her daughter after all. And she always seems so nice. And witches aren’t meant to be nice.”

“Sometimes I wonder about that…”

“Earlier, Korra said…” Kuvira looked up at Asami. “That you were flying for _half an hour_. She was exaggerating, right?”

“Actually, she wasn’t.” Asami said thoughtfully. “I think we were lied to as teenagers. I could probably have gone for a bit longer, as well.”

“No, we weren’t _lied_ to.” Kuvira said urgently. “Even on long calls, I can only fly for fifteen minutes or so. Asami, I thought you were _terrible_ at flying.”

“I am.” Asami laughed. “Trust me, I’m no natural.”

“Maybe…” Kuvira faded off.

She looked thoughtful. Asami didn’t like that all. When Kuvira was thoughtful, it usually meant something terrible was about to happen to Asami. Like when Kuvira’s thoughtful look ended in a an empty can of spray paint and detention for three weeks. Not that terrible things weren’t _already_ happening to Asami.

But, she had done those to herself.

“Maybe what?” Asami asked.

“You have feelings for Korra, don’t you?” She asked. “Gay feelings.”

“I’m not interested in girls.” Asami said at once.

It was an instinctive reaction, at this point. She had never been interested in girls. She was hardly interested in boys. If anything, it was the _attention_ that she craved. Some nights, she just wanted to feel like a hole to fuck, like she had a purpose, as disturbing as that was.

“But you’re interested in _Korra_?”

Ah. That was a _different_ answer.

“I—No!” Asami paused. Was there any point in lying, really? “Maybe a teensy bit. I don’t know. Why does that even matter? The court aren’t going to say, _awe_ , she’s having a _coming of age,_ let’s let her off this time!”

“Sometimes connections with other souls can make your magic stronger. That’s all I’m saying.”

“My soul isn’t _connected_ to Korra’s. Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve known her for less than a month.” Asami narrowed her eyes. “Can we please focus on my impending doom, instead of whatever _this_ conversation is.”

“How long did your mother know your father before she married him?” Kuvira asked, ignoring what Asami said completely. Asami bit her lip.

They both knew the answer was twelve days.

Hiroshi harped on about it all the time, to Asami’s dismay.

“Irrelevant.” She said.

“Hardly.”

“I’m not about to _marry_ Korra!”

“About to—what?” A voice asked from the door. _Korra’s voice_.

Asami whipped around in horror. Korra was there, _listening_. Oh god, why was she blushing so deeply? She could literally feel it. She probably looked like some form of human tomato.

Korra just looked confused though.

“I don’t think we should get married yet.” Korra said honestly. “We haven’t known each other too long, and when this love potions wears off…” She trailed off. Asami noticed the _yet_ but didn’t say anything. Couldn’t say anything.

“Korra.” She said softly. The blue-eyed girl turned to her, with a small smile. Asami liked that smile a lot. “You need the bathroom?”

“No. I was just checking on you.”

“That’s gay.” Kuvira muttered.

Asami ignored Kuvira.

“Shall we go back to the table?”

“Okay.” Korra smiled broadly, and Asami had the overwhelming urge to kiss each of her cherub cheeks. “We just ordered. I got the fish. And I got you the steak.”

“My favourite.” She smiled.

“I know.”

Asami’s heart clenched, and she felt tears stinging at her eyes but she blinked them back. She didn’t let them fall. Couldn’t let Korra see what a state she was in.

She had to do something about all of this mess, had to do the _right_ thing. Whatever that turned out to be. She knew her mother was frowning down at her, and she couldn’t stand it.

 _The right thing_ , she pondered.

Deep down, she knew what that was.

*

Dinner with Asami, Kuvira, and Opal, was easily one of the nicer nights Korra had had in a while. She loved Asami – duh, it was _literally_ impossible for her not to – but she loved her friends too. And Kuvira made Opal happy, as weird as it was. Korra had to support that.

Asami was what made Korra happy, though.

Her hand was clamped in the taller girl’s, as the two walked down the street to Asami’s cottage.

“You look pretty, Korra.” Asami said softly. “Still.”

Korra’s heart _raced_. And it felt so real. How could this be a love potion? How could this feeling be chemical, when it felt like it’s own whole damn religion?

“You’re always stunning.” Korra said back easily. “Tonight, especially.”

And she felt just as happy when she saw Asami’s cheeks pinken.

“I’ll pick up the SUV tomorrow.” She told Korra, leading her up to her cottage. Korra jumped on each stepping stone, giggling when she almost fell. Asami held her hand the whole time, and was there to stable her when she stumbled.

“It’s a shame though.” Korra said thoughtfully. “You’re hot when you drive.”

And she _was._ The protective arm over Korra’s front, and how her hand had come to rest on her thigh, the way her grip flexed on the wheel. Even silly things, like the way she looked in the rear-view mirror. All of these things made Korra’s heart _pound_.

“Don’t be weird.” Asami said, and when Korra looked at her she was bright red.

“It’s weird to think the girl I’m in love with is hot?” Korra asked with a smirk.

For a second, Asami smiled at Korra, with all the fondness in the world. Then, that warmth cooled, and she looked very dark for a moment.

“About that…” She said slowly.

“I know it’s not real.” Korra interjected, predicting what Asami was about to say. “We don’t have to have _that_ talk. I know. Let’s just… Enjoy what we have for right now?”

Korra smiled hopefully, and after a second Asami’s expression relented.

“Okay. Fine. I can do that.” She said, opening her front door and leading Korra in. “You hungry?”

As soon as Korra spotted Mecha, she stormed over to him and pulled him into her arms, running her fingers down his lithe feline form and silky fur. “We just ate.” Korra pointed out, kissing his ear softly. When she looked back up, Asami was looking at her strangely. “What?”

“N…Nothing.” Asami stammered, red again. She turned back to the coat peg to hang up her jacket. “And yeah. You ready to go to sleep?”

Korra wanted to say no, but she ended up yawning. The green-eyed witch chuckled.

“You’re in the spare room, tonight.”

She said it apprehensively, as if to gauge Korra’s response. Korra _could_ have been slick about it, smiled, said that was fine, but honestly? When had she ever been _slick_ about anything?

She pouted, “ _What?_ I wanna share.”

“Korra.” Asami sighed.

“Asami.” Korra met her full force, taking a step towards Asami so that there was only a little space between them

Awkwardly, Asami looked away, unable to hold the eye-contact.

“We shouldn’t share a bed.” Was all she said.

This, along with Asami’s newfound shyness, gave Korra an idea.

“We shouldn’t?” She said more lowly, taking a step forward and leaning up on her tiptoes so that her mouth was pressed against Asami’s ear. “And why’s that?”

The taller girl shuddered.

“Korra…” She whispered.

“Won’t be able to control yourself?” Korra purred, her hand finding Asami’s waist. She dragged her fingers down the flesh, enjoying how Asami’s skin felt under the soft pads. She was cool, and soft.

Asami gripped Korra’s wrist. At first, her hold was tight, but she didn’t move Korra’s hand, and then that hold faded into something softer.

Their eyes met.

“Kiss me.” She whispered after a long and particularly charge moment. “Just for tonight.”

Korra didn’t have to be asked twice.

Lips met lips, hands met skin, and suddenly Asami was pressed against the door. Their bodies were flush against each other, the curved of Korra’s breasts fitting easily under Asami’s. Her fingers were tangled in raven locks, and her lips drifted away from Asami’s lips, moving roughly against Asami’s neck and causing her to _moan_.

And by god, Korra had never heard anything so beautiful. She wanted to hear it again, so instead of just kissing, she sucked at the skin lightly, and even went as far to skim her teeth across the skin.

“ _Ugh… Korra…”_

“You’re so beautiful, Asami.” Korra whispered, and the grip that the witch had around her back pulled her closer, their lips meeting again in a more emotional kiss than before. Korra was sure she’d never get enough of this.

 _This_ was what love felt like. Like coming home. Korra didn’t want to be without it. She never wanted the love potion to fade, as stupid and naïve as that was to say.

Asami’s fingers began pulling at Korra’s dress, so she reached behind her back, unzipped it, and pulled it down to her waist.

“Fuck…” Asami breathed, staring in awe at Korra’s now-exposed chest, her eyes so dark they were almost black.

Careful hands reached out, cupping the flesh, and Korra felt a grunt move from the back of her throat to the tips of her teeth.

“Sami.” She whispered nervously, “You can… Touch me however you like.”

She watched as Asami’s pupil’s dilated further, and Korra knew she had said the right thing.

The arms around the back of Korra’s back tightened and twisted, and now Korra was the one pressed against the wall. Asami’s mouth found her neck, then her collarbone, and she sucked and bit and kissed all along it, causing Korra to pant and cry out in desire.

“Your… Dress…” Korra mumbled, desperate to see more of Asami.

Asami’s dress was shoulderless, and all she had to do was slip it down herself, giving Korra a good moment to see the perfect shape of her breasts, and the flurry of pink nipple, before she continued her heavenly ministrations on Korra’s shoulder.

And if she’d thought that was good, when Asami got to her chest Korra was sure she’d found paradise. At first, her hands were careful, and she looked up to Korra with big and questioning eyes, which Korra responded to with a hasty nod. She _needed_ Asami. The witch started by kissing around the nipple, not quite going where Korra needed her, and soon Korra began to writhe under her hold.

“Patience is a virtue, honey.” Asami whispered, before finally sucking on the stiff peaks.

“Ah-Asami!” Korra threw her head back, clamping her eyes shut.

Her mouth was like fire, and Korra was so happy. So full and happy. So warm and fully and happy. It was as if something had clicked into place, something she’d never had before, and she was finally complete.

Because what was so good in heaven, that Korra couldn’t find right here inside this cottage with Asami?

And suddenly the heat wasn’t there anymore, and a cold absence replaced it. Her heart sank.

She opened her eyes.

“Asami?”

“That was… A mistake.” Asami panted, her eyes still dark and dilated, still staring directly at Korra’s chest before she managed to drag them up to Korra’s face. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

And before Korra had time to reply, Asami had marched up the stairs. Korra followed, but by the time she’d got to the top (missing the unlucky step), the door to Asami’s bedroom had slammed shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmm the fluffy times are coming to an end. upon rereading my plan for this story, 'light angst' seems like a bit of an understatement lol.
> 
> hope you are all coping this september! if you have any asks etc feel free to message me :)
> 
> [my tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bisexualyoda1)


	8. HOW TO GREET THE COURT'S HIGH WITCH

Asami’s heart was still racing, the blood pounding in her ears, even after ten minutes had passed since whatever... _That_ had been with Korra. Not once, in any of her sexual encounters, over the course of her whole life, had she ever felt like that.

(And there had been a lot of encounters.)

Granted, those were just hook-ups and often completely emotionless, especially on Asami’s end, but that was what she thought everything with Korra was. Emotionless, meaningless, a foolish mistake and that was all, end of.

 _Are you sure you thought that, Asami?_ Her internal monologue asked, but she pushed those that voice away, not wanting to confront those emotions. She wasn’t sure what she felt, what she wanted, but she knew one thing for sure.

She didn’t like girls.

Her feelings for Korra, as strange and foreign to her as they were, were entirely temporary, and when all of this was over, it would be just that.

Over. For good.

She’d find a guy, a boyfriend even, and this time she’d pick the son of a witch or maybe an elf. And she’d commit to a serious relationship, just to get all of this out of her system.

She tried to ignore the way that thought hurt her feelings, tried to ignore how little that future appealed to her.

She laid back on her bed and let out a long exhale. She knew what had to be done. There was only one thing left for her to do now, and she had to face the consequences of her actions. The guilt was setting in, icy and unbearable.

Kuvira picked up after the third ring, which was lucky because Asami’s finger was shaking so badly that she was unsure if she could find Kuvira’s name again in her contacts.

“A…Asami?” Kuvira coughed, and giggling could be heard in the background.

“Are you with Opal right now?” Asami asked, bemused. She didn’t have time for this.

“Hm. Maybe. Hey, stop that! No!” And then Kuvira actually _giggled_ herself, and Asami was so close to turning the phone off and never thinking about her best friend again, spending a lifetime purging her memories of what she just heard, but the phone hung up on itself.

After a moment, she received an incoming call from Kuvira.

“Sorry about that.” Kuvira muttered. “I’ve locked myself in the bathroom. Asami do you know what _tickling_ is?”

“No?”

“All this time I thought humans were powerless, and yet they’ve possessed _this_ all along. They don’t even need a wand for it. They just use their hands.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t even know how to describe it.” Kuvira paused. “They brush their fingers on you, in certain places. Apparently it’s the back of the neck for me, and everyone has their own weak point. And it makes you _feel_ things. Like pain, but also, happiness. And it’s terrible.”

“I’ve never heard of this.” Asami replied dubiously. “Are you sure Opal isn’t tricking you?”

“Ask Korra to do it for you. Apparently all humans know how to do it.”

The mention of Korra reminded Asami why she called, and her heart fell. Why did doing the right thing have to feel so wrong? Have to hurt so much?

“Asami?” Kuvira asked, after the witch had been quiet for a second too long. “What’s wrong?”

“Take me to the coven tomorrow.” Asami said. “I have to… Have to go to the coven.”

This time, Kuvira stayed quiet herself for a very long time.

“We’re bringing Korra, aren’t we?” Kuvira asked eventually.

“Yeah.” Asami sighed. “We’ll go tomorrow morning.”

Another pause. This one much longer.

“Are you scared?”

“Of being killed or thrown in jail. _No,_ Kuvira, _not at all_.” Asami snapped. She hadn’t realised her hands were shaking until she noticed the way her knees were, and her torso, and her whole body. Shaking, like there was an earthquake hitting Republic City, as if the witches hadn’t noticed and stopped it.

“We don’t have to go just yet. Wait till Korra’s parents get here. And we can still kill her if you want, just afterwards, so you don’t break that blood promise. Or, was the blood promise that she’d have lost the effects of the potion at that time? Do you remember the specifics?”

 _There is no blood promise,_ Asami wanted to yell, _I just didn’t want Korra to die._

Witches were taught that humans were lesser beings, not in the sense that they were intelligently inferior, because their brains worked pretty much the same, but more like how people view dolphins or other intelligent animals. Humans are people too, but with the absence of magic they were practically like sheep to shepherds when compared with witches.

A part of that mindset, of course, meant that prior to Korra, Asami would have very willingly killed a human to get what she wanted. Murder wasn’t legal in general, but the coven didn’t much mind if you killed someone with a non-forbidden spell, or a poison, because they argued that that wasn’t in their domain. And then, the normal human law system, would argue that death by magic wasn’t in their jurisdiction, so one little murder could usually be swept under the rug, but…

Kuvira was a firm advocate for murder, actually. For some reason, that didn’t surprise Asami. But Asami had never been fond of it, and killing Korra had never been on the table.

“No. If I don’t do it properly, I’d feel…” Asami faded off, but she knew Kuvira understood.

“I’ll be there at eight.”

Eight came, and went, and it wasn’t till nine that Kuvira actually arrived. Asami had been sat on her front step, shaking, annoyed that Kuvira wasn’t answering her phone, but more than anything else, _scared_.

Terrified, even.

This would probably be her last day on Earth. The witch’s punishment system was cruel and unforgiving, and that was how it had always been. And Asami had already gotten off once, barely, and with a whole shroud of mystery that she’d never understood.

“ _Fuck…”_ She hissed under her breath. This was going to be bad.

“Sami, what’s wrong?” Korra asked from behind her. Asami turned around, spying the blue-eyed girl. She was stood in the doorway, a look of concern plastered on her face as she stared down at the witch. “I’m sorry about… Uh, last night. I put you in a really terrible position, kissing you like that, since I’m under the spell and I knew that and—”

“Oh, Korra, don’t be silly.” Asami said at once. “It is I that should be sorry. But not to you, to… Well, to you, but not _this_ you. This you, would just forgive me, and I need the you that wouldn’t.”

Korra quirked an eyebrow.

“Is this witch talk I don’t understand?”

“I suppose so.” Asami sighed. “Won’t you sit with me?”

“Okay.”

Korra sat next to Asami, and even with an inch of cool air between them, the warmth from her body comforted Asami. She hated how much she enjoyed this, but if she was to have one last morning, this was how she’d choose to spend it.

“We’re going to the witch’s courts today.” She told Korra, in her calmest of voices. She didn’t want to alarm or upset Korra – that was quite literally the opposite of her plan for that day. “To see if they can break the potion.”

“Oh…”

Asami turned to look at Korra. Her eyes were staring at Asami’s arms, unfocussed, and Asami could tell she was thinking about something because of the tension in her jaw.

“Will you get in trouble?” She asked at last.

Asami swallowed the frog in her throat, before smiling at Korra. “Me? Get in trouble with the courts? No, of course not.” It wasn’t like she hadn’t lied to Korra before. She lied all the time to her, which was obviously part of the problem.

“And when… It’s broken… Will I…?” Korra looked at Asami expectantly.

“Well, you’ll remember everything, if that’s what you’re asking. How you feel depends on, uh, how you would feel _despite_ the potion if that makes sense.”

“So I could still have these feelings for you?” Korra asked, and her voice sounded warm with hope. Warmth that was severely misplaced, considering the most likely fate facing Asami that day.

“You could, but don’t get your hopes up.” Asami said, choosing her words carefully. “Do you need a coat?”

Korra was wearing a blue tank and black sweatpants, her hair still ruffled from the night spent in the spare room. Asami reached out, tentatively stroking down the locks.

“I’m okay.” Korra said.

“ _Korra._ ” Asami warned. “You’ll need a coat.”

“Okay _mom_.” Korra laughed, standing up and brushing the dirt from underneath her knees. “Can I wear yours?”

Asami’s heart clenched, and for a second she couldn’t speak, looking up at the hopeful and innocent Korra, but she pushed all of that down. This wasn’t about her feelings for Korra, this was about her integrity as a woman and as a witch.

“If you want to.” She said indifferently, turning back to the road. She recognised Kuvira’s car as it pulled up, the taller witch getting out. Asami checked but Opal wasn’t in the car with her – even so, Asami was sure that she was why Kuvira was late.

“You’re late.” She called out, over her front lawn.

Kuvira gave her a stoical look, and Asami realised that this probably wasn’t the easiest thing in the world for her. In no alternate universe, in no dimension, would Asami ever take Kuvira to her execution, even if the shorter witch begged. She just wouldn’t be able to; they were best friends.

But Kuvira loved the law, and Asami had broken it, and that was what differentiated them as witches.

 _And look who gets to live?_ She thought bitterly.

But no, she’d made peace with this. Witch prison was worse than death, because at least in death she’d find her mother, but witch prison in itself wasn’t _forever_ (hopefully). She would be able to settle with whatever the witches decided.

“Where’s Korra?” Kuvira asked, peering through the open door.

“Fetching a coat from my wardrobe, I assume.” She said shortly.

“Did something happen? Why have you… Changed your mind? The blood promise?” Kuvira looked confused. Asami was almost too ashamed to tell her the truth, but she bit back her thoughts and spat it out.

“I almost slept with Korra last night.” She told her.

“Yeah, Opal and I figured.” Kuvira said. “Why didn’t you? Did she say something or…?”

“Why _didn’t I?”_ Asami snapped. “Are you _kidding_ , Kuvira? She’s under my magic!”

Kuvira gave her a strange expression, but bit her tongue and stayed silent.

“What?” Asami growled. “I can see that you want to say something, so just _say it.”_

“A love potion isn’t like _alcohol_ , Asami. I know we said it was like drugging her, but it’s magic, not Rohypnol. Sex and feelings aren’t always connected. Korra has free-reign of her thoughts and decisions, and on top of that she knows she’s under a love potion.” Kuvira said, in one of the most gentle tones Asami had ever heard coming out of the woman. “And you didn’t go ahead with it, anyway, so…”

“I could have!” Asami cried. “I wanted to. I didn’t even care about… And I know it’s not the same, I know Korra can technically consent to it, but if she wasn’t under the potion? But without those feelings that I forced her to have… Would she have?” Asami didn’t want to think about last night, what she’d almost let herself do. She could hardly live with herself as it was.

“You didn’t though.” Kuvira placed a hand on her shoulder. “And right now, you’re making everything right. Even if you were to tell the courts or even the human police about this situation, you’d never be charged with anything. _That_ part isn’t a crime. The rest of it… _Welllll…_ ”

Asami scoffed. “It feels like one.”

“Then feel it, but feel it in the car. I don’t want to be late, our appointment with the high court is in half an hour.”

“ _Half an hour?_ ”

How little time left to live.

“Sami? How do I look?”

Asami whipped around to see Korra in her witch’s cloak. For a moment, she was going to tell Korra to put it back, thinking in horror about what the other witch’s would think, but seeing the joyful smile on Korra’s face stopped her. She bit her lip, smiling at Korra as honestly as she could.

“You look pretty.” She told her, and Korra jumped a little bit with a squeal.

Kuvira was giving her a look as if to say ‘ _really?’_ , but Asami (as usual) ignored it.

“Let’s go then.” Korra grinned, grabbing Asami’s hand and using it as a support whilst she bounced down the stepping stones. Kuvira watched with a faint smile, and Asami tried to bite back her blush.

The ride to the courts was short, far shorter than Asami would have liked, and although it was composed of exactly what she wanted (Korra’s chicken jokes, Kuvira’s moans and groans), it felt as if it was five minutes, not thirty.

And then, they were outside the building. It was large, and stone, and foreboding. Like a human court, with a fair few more gargoyles.

“I hate this place.” Kuvira said. “Every time work takes us out here…” She shivered.

‘Out here’, was about twenty-five minutes out of Republic City, a small burrow into the side of the mountain. There was one, very bumpy road that led to the building, and as they drove down Korra would point to a cloak witch and cry out, until Asami acknowledged that she’d seen it.

“I’ve only been once before.” Asami told Kuvira.

“You’ll be—”

“This is my first time.” Korra interjected, as if it was her turn to speak. Asami smiled at her fondly.

“Okay, why don’t we, uh, get this over with.” Kuvira said with a sigh. She looked tired; sad. Asami felt how she looked.

Korra interlocked their fingers, and again Asami was tempted to pull away, worried what the other witches would say and think, but she didn’t – if these were her last moments, she was going to spend them holding Korra’s hand. Although deep down, she was holding onto some hope, hope of a miracle.

The lobby was crowded, filled to the brim with stone-faced witches milling about their day-to-day lives. Almost as soon as Asami, Korra, and Kuvira entered, a mumble went up in the air, eyes darting over to look at them, and most importantly, Korra, in Asami’s cloak and holding Asami’s hand.

“ _Is that the Mermak girl of the water tribe?”_

_“A human slave, how medieval.”_

_“To think that she’s Yasuko’s daughter, participating in such arts as that.”_

Asami heard the whispers, but didn’t pay them much attention. They wouldn’t matter when she was dead or incarcerated, after all. She reached the reception desk, and the lady, a tall woman with black hair and skin that was made up of about 90 per cent moles, gave her a very stern look.

“To what do we owe the pleasure, Sato?” She asked coldly. Her eyes jutted from Asami to Korra, with obvious distaste.

“We have an appointment with the high court.”

“Hmph.”

“It’s in, uhm, five minutes, and…” Asami faded off, the witch not moving or writing anything down. She was simply staring, and at _Korra_.

“I say, you’re Korra Mermak.” The witch muttered incredulously, before her expression turned to one of twisted delight. “How in trouble you shall be, Miss Sato. Oh dearie, dearie.”

“That’s me!” Korra chimed. “How did you know that? My dad has always tried to keep my face out of the pa—”

The answer to Korra’s question was simply that the witches didn’t care about censorship, but Asami didn’t feel like explaining that to Korra, and apparently neither did Kuvira.

“Listen, Marge.” Kuvira leant over the desk, and as short of a witch as she was, she could be very imposing. “I’d appreciate as little trouble as possible. We want this all to go over smoothly.”

Marge blinked, her smile faulting, before she let out a long and contented sigh.

“As you wish, Kuvira.” And finally the witch started writing something. “But the death of a witch, never goes over smoothly.”

Korra looked up at Asami in surprise. “The death of a witch?”

Marge smirked. “Don’t you know? You’re dearest here, is going to—”

“There won’t be any deaths, Korra.” Asami said quickly, shooting Marge a pointed glare. “It’s all going to be fine, you understand?”

“Asami, I’m not stupid.” Korra said quietly, so only her witch could hear. “You… You’re going to be in trouble for all this, aren’t you? Big witch trouble?”

“I already told you I wouldn’t be.” Reminded Asami.

“And you lie _all the time_.” Korra cried, and her voice was breaking up and tears were building and Asami didn’t know what to do.

“ _Awe,_ ” Another witch nearby spoke up, a nasty snarl to her voice, “ _She made her sex slave cry.”_

“Poor thing!” Her friend said. “It takes a nasty piece of work to do that to a poor ittle wittle human.”

Asami shot a glare to them both, and before Kuvira (who was already marching forwards) could say anything, Korra had placed herself firmly in front of the two witches, pointing at them with a short and – muscular? Somehow? – forefinger.

“If you don’t shut up,” She said coldly, and not in her usual voice. Not in the voice she used with Asami. This was deeper, and darker, and Asami felt her body shiver involuntarily. “I’ll set my dog on you. And let me tell you. She’s _huge_. With _huge teeth_ , and _huge claws._ ”

One of the witches let out a yelp, whilst the other fell back. Asami had to bite back a smile, knowing full well that Naga was all of those things, but also entirely harmless.

Korra turned back to Asami with a smile, and Asami rolled her eyes as a response, holding her arms open for the shorter girl who gladly took them.

“I think they’re just jealous you’re prettier than them.” Korra whispered in Asami’s ear

“Or that I’ve got such a pretty g—” She caught herself, before it was too late. Before the next twenty minutes would have become too painful to bare, “Such a pretty Korra.”

Korra grinned toothily. “That too.”

“The High Court is ready.” Marge said loudly, giving the two a look that she also probably gave dirt on her shoe. “Kuvira, you should stay here.”

“I can’t go in?”

“I’m afraid not.”

She turned to Asami solemnly, and Asami looked down at her friend. Without another word, they embraced.

“This isn’t the end.” Kuvira murmured.

“Goodbye, Kuvira.” Asami whispered back.

The High Court was composed of five old ladies. It had used to be The Great Ones, but now only one Great One remained. Kya, of the South, known for her healing magic and eccentricities. Asami couldn’t imagine living in the South voluntarily, but rumour had it that she wanted to spend her last few years with her elderly mother, and never moved away. Some people even thought she’d given up her magic, but if that were the case then she wouldn’t be sitting in front of Asami right then, heading the high court of witches.

“Asami Sato.” She said, as the middle and highest seat. “And… _Korra?”_

“Kya?” Korra gasped. “ _This_ is your day job?”

There was a bumble from the other witches, but Kya silenced them with a lift of the hand.

The room itself had high ceilings, so high Asami had to squint to see them, and upon them were beautiful and swirling Italian paintings. Candles lit the whole area. A chandelier hung down, only a few feet above Asami, and behind the witches’ stands was one very large gargoyle statue.

“I didn’t know this concerned you, my dear child.” She told Korra, before addressing the audience. “Let the records show that the head witch has a connection with the…” She scanned the paper in front of her, her expression darkening, “ _Victim_ , of the trial.”

 _Victim. Trial_. Words Asami knew she wouldn’t like to hear, but it wasn’t as though she had a choice.

“I’m not a victim!” Korra piped up.

“ _Silence, human!”_ The witch on the furthest left snapped. She had the largest nose Asami had ever seen, it was almost the size of her whole head, dangling down like a fifth leg. This earnt the long-nosed witch a sharp look from Kya, but it didn’t seem to faze the witch.

“The court asks that everyone remains silent whilst Asami explains to us what she has done. We shall then choose a resolution, and if we see fit, a punishment.”

_They were definitely going to see fit._

“Why bother?” The oldest-looking witch, the one to Kya’s direct right, croaked. Her eyes were so sunken into her face it was a miracle she could see. “She’s got Yasuko’s binding. There’s nothing we could do to her anyway.”

“Yasuko’s _what?_ ” Asami asked.

Kya gave her a cold look.

“Your mother, my close friend… One of her final pieces of magic was one that protected you from the punishments of the court.”

“She did _what?”_ Asami gasped. Was she about to get away with this, scot-free?

“You were in her womb at the time, and she had no way of knowing that you would become such a delinquent!” The long-nosed witch snarked. “And _I_ say we ignore it all together. Yasuko wouldn’t have wanted a child of hers to have turned out like this. Best we lock her up!”

“We haven’t even heard what she’s done!” The old witch snapped.

“Why do we need to know? We know it’s bad. And it’s not the first time she’s ended up here, for a bit of forbidden magic. We should have had her _burnt_ the first time!”

“ _Silence._ ” Kya boomed, and this time her voice rang in Asami’s ears. Volume magic, and she hadn’t even had to speak the words for it. It made Asami a small bit jealous. “Asami,” Quieter, then. “Would you please tell us what has happened with my good friend, Korra?”

Asami glanced over at Korra, who was shaking in her boots, her eyes wide. Quickly, she pushed her hand into Korra’s, and squeezed reassuringly.

“I committed two crimes, really, although the second only occurred because of the first.” Asami told her. “My human boyfriend broke up with me, to be the boyfriend of Korra. His name is Mako, he attends RCU. He’s not complicit in any of this, only that he dated me beforehand.”

Korra was looking at Asami curiously. Of course, she’d never heard this story before either, not in this level of detail.

“I was angry that my human boyfriend had left me for another human, as I thought that I was, to put it simply, superior to Korra…” She looked over at the blue eyes, the ones she’d grown to care about so deeply it hurt, “But I see now that that was completely false. If only I’d known sooner.”

“Hurry up with the story!” Long-Nose McGee cried, and Asami shot her a look, unable to stop herself.

“I used an invisibility spell to spy on their date.”

Their was a murmur of disapproval around the room, but Kya gave Asami a surprisingly kind look, encouraging her to keep going. Asami wondered briefly if it was because, as an infant, before her mother’s death, she had used to play with the other Great Ones. Not that she remembered it at all now.

“When I got home, I made the mistake of crafting a potion. It didn’t occur to me that, since my spell was forbidden, it would lead to me creating a feral potion.” Asami bit her lip in anger, staring at the floor. “In fact,” She said lowly, “I didn’t even realise it was feral once I’d made it.”

“Do you not keep up with your studies, child? It should have been obvious.” The only witch that hadn’t spoken yet asked.

“I do not.” Asami said plainly. There was nothing to conceal in that department. “I’ve been very negligent with my magic. That’s why it’s so weak.”

The long-nosed witch let out a loud guffaw. “You expect us to believe that? I felt your magic, as soon as you came into the room, and it is _far_ from weak. Are you going to lie to get out of this, _bitch_ , because I assure you it won’t work?”

“Language!” Kya’s righthand witch barked, and the long-nosed one sank into her seat.

“Are you lying to us, Asami?” Kya asked slowly, turning her attention from the other witches and to the beautiful witch.

“No! I’m not. I swear! My magic has always been terrible, I don’t know what…” She faded off, remembering the broom ride with Korra, and how long it had lasted.

“Your magic isn’t weak.” Kya said firmly. “I can feel it too. It reminds me very much of your mother’s. Built the same way, I think.” She exchanged a look between Korra, and then Asami. “…Oh.”

“Oh, what?” The witch on the right asked. Asami thought she was quite nice, really.

“Ah.” A smile broke Kya’s face. “I see. Asami, your soul is tied to Korra’s, is it not?”

“ _What? No!”_ Asami gasped. “I don’t even know how to do that. I promise, my magic is weak, and I didn’t know the potion was feral and I gave it to Korra to drink anyway and it wouldn’t fade away and now we’re here.”

It was Korra’s turn to squeeze Asami’s hand.

“It’s going to be okay, Sami.” She whispered, and Asami sent the human girl a sorrowful look, because quite obviously, that was not the case.

“Korra?” Kya turned to her. “I get the picture now. You’re under a love spell, are you not?”

“Yes Ma’am.” Korra nodded, and Kya gave her a coy look. “I mean, Kya. Yes, Kya.”

“If you can help us here, that would be great.” The quietest witch from the stand spoke up. “Do you remember Asami tying her soul to you in any way? Any sort of magic that might have looked like that?”

Korra thought for a moment. “No, I don’t think so.”

“I see. Well—”

“Oh, wait!” Korra gasped. “When Asami came back from her date and we shared a bed,” Asami looked down at her toes, ashamed at her past actions and desperately _not_ wanting to see Kya’s reaction, “And we fell asleep. Her chest. It started, uhm, glowing. And I thought maybe that just happens to witches, because y’all are weird, but when I’d have sleepovers at your house,” She looked at Kya, “Your chest never glowed, so… Was that _it?”_

“My chest _what?_ ” Asami asked.

Korra shrugged. “Glowed.”

Kya gave Korra a warm look. “I’ve heard all I need to hear. Korra, if you could take that door to the left. There’s a small room in there, and I’ll be with you shortly. We’re going to get rid of the potion’s affects, alright? And then you’ll fall asleep for a little bit, so there’s a nice bed in there.”

Korra nodded, trusting her old family friend. She gave Asami a very tight hug, kissing the girl’s cheek.

“I’ll see you on the other side, Sami.”

And Asami, for a brief moment, thought _maybe you will_.

This had gone a lot better than what she’d expected.

Korra skipped into the room, blowing Asami one last kiss before she closed the door behind her.

Asami turned her attention back to Kya. The warm presence she’d had before had vanished, and suddenly she understood why Kya was considered a Great One. Even Asami, who had little to no experience in gauging the magic of others, could feel Kya’s energy seeping off of her, full of rage and turmoil.

“If it wasn’t for your mother, I’d have you thrown in prison for the rest of your pitiful life.” Kya told her bleakly. “It pains me that I cannot, especially after you’ve done _this_ , to a very good and close friend of mine.” She took a deep breath, her aura shifting, “That being said, that punishment could be biased, and I would never want to tarnish my reputation as the last surviving Great One.”

“Listen, I’m really—”

“No, child, you shall listen to me.” Kya commanded. “There is another punishment, far more fit for you, Asami, and one that I know will hurt far more than a cold and empty jail cell.”

“What is it?” Asami asked, fearfully.

“You’ll have to find out.” Kya said. “But first, I have to go fix the mess you made.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [my tumblr :)](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bisexualyoda1)


	9. HOW TO FALL OUT OF LOVE

Kya came back half an hour later, and her face was weary. It was a tell-tale sign of hard magic being performed, but at least it meant that she’d been successful (right?). Asami could hope that that was the case. The Great One gave Asami a tight-lipped smile, before taking her seat back at the head of the stand.

The other witches had sat there in silence the whole time Kya was gone, and Asami had been severely uncomfortable. Usually another witch’s gaze on her marked jealousy or insecurity, but under their gaze, she felt judged. Judged, and a sinner.

_Which she was._

She couldn’t forget that. Asami vowed silently to never perform any forbidden magic again, since apparently they were letting her live. She could still hardly believe it.

Her mother, even from the grave, was her only saving grace.

“She’s okay. Comatose, but okay.” Kya told Asami. “I lifted the soul bonding between you two, as well.”

“You… Did?” Why did she feel disappointed?

(Probably because, if they’d stayed bonded, Korra would have still loved her when she woke up.)

(But she might still love her! Korra’s feelings always felt genuine, and far beyond that of which a love potion could create.)

(Except, it wasn’t a normal love potion, so of course the feelings weren’t normal.)

“Are you _listening_ to me?” Kya snapped.

Asami awoke from her thoughts suddenly. Had she been talking? Kya was sat back on her main seat, staring at her with no hidden annoyance. “Sorry, yes. I’m listening. Did you, uh, say what my punishment was?”

Kya sighed. “We _can’t_ punish you, technically. But as you will soon see, karma always takes its course. Especially with witches.”

“Oh… Okay.”

So, she was completely safe! Wow, what a whole lot of crying and panicking over nothing. She couldn’t wait to see Kuvira’s face. They might even hug again. Actually, that would be weird.

“When will Korra wake up?” Asami asked.

Kya sighed. “Best case scenario… In less than a day, but with such a powerful spell, it could be closer to a week.”

“At least she’ll be in time to see her parents.” Asami thought aloud, and Kya gave her a curt nod.

“You can stay with her, if you want.” She gestured towards the side door where Korra was sleeping.

“I… Can?”

Kya shrugged. “Someone has to take her home, and it certainly can’t be me. I have to get back to the South, and a Great One roaming the streets of Republic is never a good idea, as it turns out.”

“Oh, thank you!” Asami smiled, walking over to the side door. A hand gripped her shoulder suddenly – tight, hard, cold. She turned around. Somehow Kya had _teleported_ to right behind her – a very advanced form of space magic. Asami was reminded once more of the power she’d never be able to possess.

“Asami, you must be careful with your own heart as well.”

A flash of feeling passed over Kya’s face, for just a split second, before the same stony semblance returned. She dropped her hand, and walked away from Asami, but Asami didn’t see where she ended up because she’d already eagerly swung the door open to reveal the inside.

It wasn’t much. A small room, a plain bed with cream sheets, and a wooden stool next to it. There was a sink and a mirror, for magic, or at least Asami assumed it was, and a very small chest of drawers. Probably empty.

“Oh, Korra.” She dashed to the stool, taking the seat.

The dark-skinned girl looked peaceful, and a feeling of guilt washed over Asami when she realised she’d never seen Korra look like this. Look so serene. The love potion must have affected her far more than Asami had even thought possible, even in her sleep.

Leaning down, she brushed a strand of hair from Korra’s closed eyes, silently admiring her long lashes.

“I’m sorry, honey.” She whispered. Her own eyes began to water, and she had to look away, scrubbing at them furiously and almost certainly ruining her makeup.

“You okay there?”

Asami jumped in her seat, whirling around to look at Korra, but it wasn’t the voice of the blue-eyed human, but rather the voice of Asami’s best friend. Kuvira had creeped in, and was staring at Asami solemnly.

“I’m… Fine.” Asami breathed. “They lifted the spell, so Korra will be okay.”

“And you’re not going to prison.” Kuvira added. “Or dead.”

“Yeah, that too.”

Maybe going to prison would be better than this.

“She’ll remember everything, won’t she?” She whispered.

“Yeah.” Kuvira said, kneeling on the floor next to Asami. “She just won’t… Asami, you…”

Asami turned to Kuvira in surprise. She very rarely struggled with her words, always straight to the point, hard and brutal. “What?”

“Are you sure it’s best that you be here when she wakes up?” Kuvira asked finally.

Asami sighed. “Even if I knew better, I can’t leave her. What if something happens? Who’s going to protect her, forgotten in this side room? I must stay.”

“And you say you aren’t gay.” Kuvira teased.

“I’m not.”

“Bi?”

“ _No._ ”

“How are you seriously in denial?” Kuvira laughed. “You two will literally be getting married and at the wedding you’ll be all, _I do, but no homo though._ ” She did a pretty good impression of Asami, and she managed to make the witch laugh.

“Shut up, Kuvira.” Asami giggled. “Go flirt with Opal, or whatever you do in your spare time.”

And as if summoned by the gods, Kuvira’s phone pinged. She looked down at it, flashed a smile that Asami hadn’t seen since Kuvira had got the number of one of Asami’s lab teachers, and typed out a message.

“I’ve gotta go.” She announced.

“I figured. Have fun, Casanova.”

“Oh, I _will._ ”

“Gross.”

“Call me when you and Korra need picking up.” She said, before sauntering out of the room with a newfound swagger in her step. Before she closed the door completely, she popped her head back in the room and looked at Asami, something warm and genuine dancing in her eyes, “I’m glad you’re okay, though.”

“Me too.” Asami nodded, although she wasn’t sure if she really was. Worry still racked her, especially with Korra unconscious. It was like that week when was asleep all over again. “Now, go!”

“I’m going! I’m going!”

Asami turned back to Korra, the room suddenly quiet and empty, apart from the both of their breathing. She wondered if the human was dreaming. If she was dreaming about Asami.

That was too much to hope for.

Three days went by, before Korra awoke. Asami stayed the whole time, hungry, thirsty, but a witch can last much longer without such things than a human can, and Asami hardly wanted anything. She wouldn’t leave Korra’s bedside for even a second, out of fear or guilt, or something else, and nobody came to check on them, so she just put up with it.

Part of her wondered if it was her stomach growling that awoke Korra.

She hadn’t even been looking at her face. Asami had been staring at the girl’s feet, exposed, her socks and shoes placed at the foot of the bed, tracing the outlines of her toes with her eyes. She’d leant up, stretching her arms, about to switch positions and glancing over at the prettiness she’d finally memorised, only to almost fall to the floor in surprise.

Big, blue eyes, were peering up at her.

“Korra!” She cried, throwing herself at the girl and pulling her into a tight hug. “You’re—! You’re okay!”

Silence. Arms never reached out to enclose the witch and return the hug.

Asami pulled back.

“You’re okay, right?” She searched the human’s face, but it was completely emotionless. Had Asami broken the human, for good?

“Do you remember me?”

Nothing. No movement. No trace of understanding in those cerulean eyes.

Finally, something shifted. A word, then more.

“Get,” Korra croaked, her eyes twisting in a way that Asami had never seen before. Her heart sank. She knew that emotion well. “The _fuck_ off of me!”

Hatred.

-

Korra couldn’t believe it. She _refused_ to believe it.

Her parents had always been cautious about witches, always told her that a witch did more harm than good, and she should keep clear of them, especially now that she’d moved to Republic and lots of witches roamed freely there.

But Korra wasn’t like her parents, she wasn’t like Opal, who adopted much the same attitude – if not a stronger one. She believed that witches were people too. One of her best friends, as a child and even as a teenager (the chief’s child was never going to be popular, no matter how loud and boisterous they were), was Kya. The witch of her village. And she’d always been nothing but kind to Korra.

It was her, when Bolin had brought home Eska for the first time, that had supported him. It had been her, who had fought Opal and told her to make peace with it. _She_ was the one who tolerated witches, respected them, treated them as more than monsters.

Korra even treated elves and goblins as fairly as she could, which was particularly hard for her when it came to goblins, because of all the slime and snot they produced. But she _did_.

She was always, in her heart, a fair and good person.

And look what had happened.

 _She’d been drugged_.

And then that witch, that despicable, disgusting, obnoxiously attractive witch – who wasn’t even that pretty, now Korra got a real look at her, because how could someone so beautiful do something so foul? That witch, had the _nerve_ , to wait by her bedside, as if they’d actually forged some kind of meaningful connection.

No. They hadn’t.

It had been false. A fabrication; a ruse.

Korra had been _drugged_.

“Get…” Her voice was raspier than she’d ever heard it before. Sleep, probably. Bright green eyes widened, but Korra ignored their pull, glaring as harshly as she could. “The _fuck_ off of me.”

Hurt crossed over Asami’s eyes. That was the bitch’s name. _Asami._ Of course she had to have a pretty name, and a pretty face, but even under the influence of the potion, Korra hadn’t been blind to her sour personality. It had started to mellow out, over the last couple of days. She’d started to show more kindness. But it didn’t change the fact that this girl was a bitch.

“Korra, you… You don’t remember?”

“I remember _plent_ y.” She growled, ignoring the hurt in Asami’s voice. How did _she_ get to be hurt, when she did this to her? “I remember finally being with the guy I’ve liked for _months_ , and then getting drugged by a fucking witch.”

Asami stayed silent, looking at Korra unreadably. Upset? Maybe, but mixed in with something else. Remorse? Self-loathing? It was a hard emotion to pinpoint, and one she hadn’t seen Asami look with before.

Korra didn’t care.

She sat up and pushed Asami away from her; she was strong, stronger than even a witch, and Asami took a step back. Or maybe Asami took the step willingly. Korra’s head felt foggy from sleep, but she wasn’t going to ask Asami how long she’d been asleep, she wasn’t even going to acknowledge her.

“I’m going home.” She said shortly, waiting for a reply. She walked past Asami, who grabbed her wrist and tried to turn her back around. Korra ripped her arm from Asami’s hold. “Don’t touch me!” She yelled, and Asami flinched at the volume.

The room fell into a cruel silence.

“Leave me the _fuck_ alone. I don’t want anything…” Her voice broke, and she hated herself for it because of course she was showing weakness in front of the bitch who ruined her life, “I don’t want anything to do with you!”

Asami stayed silent, and Korra left.

She stormed out of… Wherever the _hell_ that place was. She remembered something about coming to the ‘courts’, even seeing Kya, but it was all blurry and distant – most of her memories from the last few weeks were of green eyes, silky hair, soft lips, not real and checkable information.

“ _Ugh!_ ” She hissed. She couldn’t think about Asami like _that_ anymore. She didn’t even want to. Asami was a bad person, she’d used Korra to get revenge on Mako, and she’d almost _slept_ with Korra.

(Although, Korra had initiated it. And been more than willing. She hadn’t even felt the affects of the potion at that time, the pull of her heart, the sweat on her palms, none of it…. That didn’t make it okay though! Nothing made any of this okay.)

“That’s it. Mako.” She murmured to herself, pulling out her phone and dialling the policeman. He was still a cop, she was pretty sure, and he’d know (or be able to find out) where the hell she was.

Plus, she wanted to talk to him. To ask for forgiveness. To rekindle whatever they had. It had only been a few weeks, and Korra had been under a love potion. He’d understand, right?

“ _Korra? Is that you?_ ”

His voice was as rugged and handsome as ever.

She could imagine him at his desk, a cold, half-empty mug of coffee before him, as he poured over some police file, a quizzical look on his face when he saw his phone ringing; his confusion deepening, those shark-brows furrowing when he saw just who it was calling.

“Yeah. It’s me.” She said, trying to gauge his tone. “I’m actually… Well, I don’t really know where I am and I was, sorta hoping that, uh, you’d give me a ride?”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Korra actually thought he’d hung up on her, so she checked the call, and as she did he answered. She only caught the second part of his response, pressing her ear against the phone.

“— _But sure. Where are you_?”

“The witch’s courts.” Korra replied. “That _bitch_ did something to me. They had to undo it.”

As she said it, she noticed a witch she recognised going past. Kuvira, that was her name. Opal’s new flame, apparently. Korra was going to have to avoid her, and at all costs. She looked stern and commanding, and didn’t even toss Korra a _look_ as she strode by. Was she going to pick up Asami?

“ _She did what? Korra, I’m on my way. I know where that is. Just hang on, I’ll be there in twenty._ ”

“Oh, okay.” Korra dragged her eyes from Kuvira, and ended the call. She slumped down against the side, ignoring the looks from all the witches that passed. Most didn’t look like Kuvira or Asami – most were gnarled, greying, with huge inhumane noses (seriously, bigger than _Bolin’s_ ) and tiny black eyes, that darted to and fro.

 _At least it wasn’t an ugly witch that took advantage of me_ , Korra thought darkly.

Although, ‘took advantage’ might be pushing it. She did remember Asami being hesitant when Korra made advances, looking after Korra when she hurt herself, so at least on some level she valued Korra as a person.

At the start, it hadn’t felt like even that though. Asami had been cold and rude. That was who Asami _really_ was. In fact, at the start, she’d seemed seriously _uninterested_ in Korra. She remembered their first date, cringing at how desperately she’d wanted to impress the bored woman. Then again, she only cast a love spell on her to get at Mako – Korra had literally meant nothing to her.

Stupidly, obnoxiously, ridiculously, that bothered Korra.

“Hey, what you thinking about?” Mako’s voice asked, and she looked up.

He was stood awkwardly, one hand in his pocket, looking down at Korra.

“Uh… Nothing.”

“C’mon.” He said. “Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Korra nodded. She took one last look, back at the big concrete building – unable to help herself – but she didn’t see Kuvira or Asami. Just black cloaks and gargoyles.

Mako was in his police car, earning both humans a few looks, but Korra (who was now very much used to witches staring at her) ignored them and got in. The car wasn’t half as comfortable as Asami’s SUV, but for the first time in a long while, she felt completely safe and at ease.

“These things are _creepy_.” Mako said, looking at the witches in mild disgust.

“Didn’t you used to bone one of these _things_.” Korra said teasingly, watching as Mako drove away and the building went from in front of her to behind. She watched it in the wingmirror, as it got smaller and smaller, eventually only a speck in the distance, till they turned a corner, and it was like it never existed.

It was a cold day. The clouds were grey. It might rain later. Korra hoped it would – she liked water, pools, the beach, everything to do with it. Rain wasn’t an exception.

“Asami doesn’t exactly look like the rest of them.” Was all Mako said in reply.

“Mako, hey—"

“Listen, Korr—”

“You go first.”

“No, maybe you should.”

“Oh, okay.” Korra conceded. “I just wanted to say that the way things ended between us… It wasn’t _fair_. I liked you. I mean, I still do like you.” She blushed. Mako said nothing, so she continued. “And I never truly liked Asami. Not really. So…”

She trailed off, her heart beating in her chest. It wasn’t like the love potion’s affects. It didn’t hurt, it was simply _exciting_. And comfortable.

“Korra, I should be honest with you, right? That’s what you want?”

Korra furrowed her brow. “Of course that’s what I… Want? At least, I think it is.”

“I can only imagine how much you’ve been lied to in the last few weeks. I’m sorry for that. Sorry that that… _bitch_ got you with her spell. She’s fucking crazy, Korra, I told you.” Mako was gripping his steering wheel very tightly. Korra didn’t like that, actually. It was a bit intimidating, seeing Mako so angry at the wheel.

“You did tell me that.” Korra agreed. She didn’t want to say Asami was _crazy_ , that seemed a little far. And a tiny bit insensitive to genuinely mentally ill people. But she understood where Mako was coming from. “Why did you date her then? You just… Didn’t know she was like that, or something?”

“Oh, I knew.” He snarled. “I knew straight away. She sent a fax to my boss after our first date, rating my performance in bed, and how I could improve.”

“That’s sociopathic!” Korra gasped. “It fits in with her whole… I use men for sex, thing, though.”

“It was insane.” Mako nodded. “And she did shit like that all the time.”

“Why’d you stay with her then? After the first time?”

Mako shrugged. “The sex, I guess. I’m sure she made you sample it. It’s kind of addictive.”

Korra wrinkled her nose. The thought of Asami having sex with Mako made her intensely uncomfortable.

“I did.” She lied. Why did she lie? Why was she lying?

“So you understand.” He changed lane, shooting the man in a nearby car the finger. “Stupid asshole…” He muttered. “But, for the sake of being honest, I should say that it wasn’t just the sex with Asami. She’s rich and powerful. I’m sure you know. It helped my career.”

“Oh.” Korra said shortly.

That wasn’t what she expected Mako to say. She hadn’t pegged him as that sort of guy.

“Don’t look at me like that, Korra.” Mako sighed. “I’m a cop, with no background, and no networking. I need all the help I can get.”

“That makes sense, I guess.”

“But when I found out you were the Chief’s daughter, I broke up with Asami.” Mako said, and he said it so casually, so normally, that for a moment the words weren’t problematic in the slightest. For a second, Korra thought nothing of them.

Then she blinked.

“Wait, what?”

Mako slowed the car down, pulling onto the highway. They were about ten minutes away from Korra’s place, now. His old place. Where was he even staying, anyway?

“Yeah. You should have told me sooner. It was Opal that finally let me know.”

Again, a casual, carefree tone.

“You dated me because I was the Chief’s daughter?” Korra said, anger bubbling in the bottom of her chest. “Mako, what the… You didn’t like me?”

Mako sighed. “Don’t be like that.”

“Don’t _be like that?_ Are you _joking?_ ” Korra growled. “Pull over.”

“We’re on the highway.”

“Pull _over_.”

“I’m not pulling over, Korra.” Mako said shortly. “As an officer of the law, my duty right now is to get you home.”

Korra didn’t say anything. She felt tears brimming on her eyelids, but she wasn’t going to let them fall. She wasn’t going to show weakness. As if god himself was watching her, tiny specks of rain started to dust the windshield.

“It was your home too, you know.” She said, trying to keep her voice as flat as possible. Despite the fact that she was hurting, and angry, and felt like such an idiot. Did she miss the memo, that said it was ‘let’s fuck with Korra’s love life!’ this month? “Where are you even staying now?”

Mako rubbed his eyebrows, frustrated.

“You don’t wanna know.” He said.

Korra’s pathetic heart immediately felt sorry for him. She hated herself for it, but she could hardly change her nature. He was probably staying somewhere really crappy – they had been very lucky to find an apartment in the first place, anywhere near the city centre.

“You can always come back and stay with us. If your place sucks that bad. Your room is still there, yo know? We haven’t rented it out yet. Only if you want to…”

She hated how hopeful and moony she sounded.

“That’s not why you wouldn’t want to know.” He muttered. “I’m staying with, uhm. My girlfriend.”

Korra’s heart sank, in the same way it had when under that feral potion.

“Oh.” She said softly. It was all she could have managed. Tears finally slipped from the corner of her eye, and she slipped a hand up quietly, rubbing away the wetness.

“Her name’s Ginger.”

 _I didn’t ask_.

“She’s a movie star. Rich. Pretty. Good for my image.”

_I don’t want to know…_

“But if I wasn’t already involved, I’d pick you.”

_Shut up!_

“And if it doesn’t work out with her… Well, yeah.”

_Stop speaking you fucking asshole!_

She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell him to go shove something up his ass, to drown in the river, to never speak to her again. There was nothing she’d like to say more, than ‘ _I am not your second choice’_ , but she couldn’t form any words. It was like her tongue was numb, dead in her mouth like a fish at the bottom of a seaman’s barrel.

Because she felt betrayed, and she’d already been put through the ringer that day.

“Okay.” She said.

They’d arrived at her apartment.

“Thanks for the ride.” She mumbled, and he must have noticed her tears, because she was hardly hiding them and they were dripping into her lap. But he didn’t say anything. Of _course_ he didn’t say anything. How could someone be so unfeeling?

She opened the door, and gave him one last look. He smiled weakly, before turning to his phone and texting someone. Probably Ginger.

Korra slammed the door, finally getting a piece of herself back, and stormed into the apartment. The man in the lobby said nothing about her crying, which was good, because she wouldn’t have been able to say anything in return anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i'm switching updates to tuesdays and fridays for this fic. so i'll have it finished in three weeks! (hopefully)


	10. HOW TO STOP A HUMAN'S TEARS

“Asami, are you okay?” Kuvira asked, her head peeking through the slit in the door. Asami looked up, smiling weakly. She didn’t know the answer to that question. The answer was meant to be _yes_ , she’d finally got that pesky human out of her hair, but she didn’t feel okay.

“I’m fine.” She said. Fine and okay were different, after all. It wasn’t a lie.

“I’ll take you home?”

“Home?” Asami blinked. “The cottage, you mean.”

Kuvira looked confused for a moment, before nodding slowly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m good.” This time it really did feel like a lie. “I just think I should lay down for a minute. Stressful day.”

“Happy ending, though, right?” Kuvira asked. Her eyes were scanning Asami, watching intently for a crack. Asami wasn’t going to break – didn’t understand why she even wanted to break. Didn’t understand why every time she closed her eyes, she could see a pair of sea-blue eyes looking back at her, blinking, wide and yielding. Korra’s eyes.

“Well I’m not dead.” Asami forced a grin, and at last Kuvira seemed appeased.

“That’s the Asami I know.” Kuvira smiled, opening the door all the way. “Now, come on.”

Asami followed her out of the side room, contemplating all the while, just who was _the Asami Kuvira knew_. It didn’t feel like her anymore. But she had no idea how to explain that to herself at all.

Once she’d stepped out of the room, her heart clenched tightly. She gripped her chest in surprise.

“Asami, are you okay?” Kuvira asked, taking a quick step towards Asami and steadying her with strong and sturdy hands.

The pain was gone as soon as it came, and Asami blinked, staring wide-eyed at her palm in front of her. “I’m… Fine.” She said slowly, as if trying to convince herself of those words.

It hadn’t felt like magic, but maybe this was just the bond breaking.

_The bond with Korra._

She still couldn’t believe that. Three weeks ago she hadn’t been able to make a love potion successfully, and apparently now she’d created a powerful form of love magic _in her sleep_. She couldn’t believe that – Kya must be wrong.

_Is a Great One ever wrong?_

Asami doubted they were wrong very often, but they were human after all. Everybody makes mistakes. She must have been mistaken.

“You good there?” Kuvira asked.

Asami refocussed on the world around her, letting out a startled gasp when she realised they were already at the SUV. She really had to pay attention more, but she’d got so caught up in her own thoughts that she simply hadn’t noticed. Maybe that was for the best; the witches were probably gossiping about her, sneering as she went passed.

At least Kuvira was there with her.

“Fine.” Asami opened the door, sitting in the passenger seat. “I can drive you know.”

“I don’t think I’d feel safe with you driving, after the day you just had.” Kuvira said bluntly, turning the key in the ignition. She drove the car out of the lot, turning onto the busy street that led to the highway, and eventually to the city. As the car vroomed down the hill, there was a ping from Kuvira’s jacket. “Can you get that?” She asked.

Asami leant over the clutch and zipped open the pocket, pulling out Kuvira’s phone. Black, a newish model. No case. About what she expected.

“Password?”

“4812”

“Let me guess, your favourite _witch law?_ ”

Kuvira half-smiled, pulling onto the highway with ease. “You know it. A witch shall not use the practise of metal magic in order to craft bullets or guns.”

“You big on gun control?” Asami asked, opening up the messages app. The new message, indicated by the emboldened text, was an image from Opal.

“I guess.” Kuvira shrugged. “It’s the only law regarding metal magic, so it’s pretty relevant to my craft.”

“Nerd.”

“At least they gave me a cool name.” Kuvira shrugged. “The iron witch. What’s the message say?”

Asami opened the photo, expecting a selfie or maybe a cute kitten (Korra used to send her chickens wearing funny hats), but what befell her eyes made her jaw drop open. She looked away quickly, feeling her cheeks pinken and ears warm up.

“That’s… That’s for your eyes only.” She stammered, staring as hard as she could out of the window, to the passing concrete of the highway, trying to burn the image of a very naked Opal out of her mind.

Kuvira chuckled. “Nice.”

“You’re a perv.”

“You’re the one who looked!” Kuvira laughed.

“I didn’t… You never said it would be _porn!_ ”

“Oh, is it a video? Double nice.”

“No, it’s not a video, and _why would she send a video?_ Oh my god, I need to cleanse my eyes and ears with bleach.” Asami groaned, pushing Kuvira away from her as the girl leered over, teasing her.

“Never seen a pair of tits before, Asami?” Kuvira mocked. “Rethinking the straight thing?”

“Some people would say that you’re forcing your sexuality onto me, Kuv.” Asami muttered, straightening up in her seat. “And if you must know, I’ve seen a pair of tits before.”

“Korra’s?”

“No.”

_Yes._

“Did you just say _yes_ to yourself in your head?”

“Shut up, Kuvira!”

“Okay, okay. We’re here now anyway.” Kuvira pulled the car to a stop. Asami looked up, staring out of her window at the cottage. Smoke was billowing from the chimney, indicating that her father was home. Or maybe he’d just left the chimney on. He’d be in his office, far away from her, if he was home.

“That was fast.”

“I’m glad I could distract you.” Kuvira smiled. “Now pass me my phone.”

“Here you go. Don’t be gross about it.”

Kuvira opened the message, her eyes immediately darkening as she bit her lip.

“I said don’t be gross about it!” Asami complained, and Kuvira burst out into laughter.

“I’m messing, chill.” She laughed. Her face turned serious after a moment, as if something had just dawned on her. “Hold up. You’re saying that you didn’t get punished at all? Like, not even with community service?”

“Not really.” Asami shook her head. “Kya said something truly terrible will happen to me, something like that. But it will be karma’s doing, not hers.”

“What happened when Korra woke up?” Kuvira asked instantly, as if she thought the two things were correlated. _They weren’t_ , Asami assured herself.

“Nothing.” Asami lied. “She said she was going home, and just left.”

The truth hurt too much to think about.

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Asami snapped. “I’m glad she’s gone home. It’s good. This is what we wanted. She moves on with her life, keeps my name out of her mouth, and forgets about me…” Asami trailed off, her heart sinking at that thought. How long would it be till Korra would forget about her completely? Till Asami was a vague figure of the past, one that Korra couldn’t quite place in her life’s timeline?

Maybe it would be worse than that.

Maybe she never would forget. Maybe in twenty years, she’d tell her children to avoid witches, because of something awful that had happened to her, once upon a time. They would sit there, big blue eyes looking up at their doting mother, and Korra would describe how she was dosed against her will, forced to fall in love with a spiteful and cruel witch. She might even change it, giving Asami a big hanging nose, with a puss-filled wart on the end of it.

The worst part was, that future seemed likely.

That same pain from earlier gripped Asami’s chest, more pointed this time, and she exhaled sharply.

“Asami?” Kuvira placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Fine.” She breathed out. “Must be anxiety from the courts. I need to lay down.”

“Need me to come in with you?”

She shook her head. “I know you’re desperate to meet Opal.”

“I wouldn’t say _desperate._ ”

“Sure.”

“I’m not!” Kuvira insisted.

“You’re not what? Totally whipped for Opal, the witch hater? Because I’d disagree.” Asami laughed. Before Kuvira could respond, she slid out of the SUV. She opened the door quickly, seeing just who’s vehicle it was, and said, “You can return this tomorrow, by the way.”

Kuvira gave her a sarcastic thumbs up, and it pleased Asami to see that there was a faint tint of pink to her cheeks. Maybe she really was whipped for Opal.

“Whipped.” Asami whispered to herself, blue eyes dancing in the back of her mind. Why was she thinking about Korra? That whole thing was _over_ now.

She stepped absently from each cobble stone block to the next, just like Korra would ha— _Stop that, Asami._

The blue eyes were still watching her as she picked up Mecha from his basket by the door, and put him on the counter. They were still watching her when she prepared some fish for him to eat, and made a sandwich for herself. She was still being watched by them when she ate it, when she put the plate in the sink for her magic to wash later, and when she laid down on the couch.

Mecha jumped up next to her, licking her cheek. He must be able to tell that she wasn’t feeling well.

Asami tried to close her eyes, but the blue eyes only became clearer, and it was then that she realised that they weren’t Korra’s blue eyes, but those children’s eyes. The one’s she’d imagined. Korra’s children’s eyes. Vaguely, she was aware that she was falling into a slumber, that what she was seeing was a dream, but it felt so palpable that it was like looking into the future.

_“There’s a witch in my class, mom.” The girl, the oldest, said. She had blue eyes like her mother, but her hair was darker, almost black, dull and spikey. Asami inspected her features, trying to spot every semblance of Korra that she could find within them. She didn’t look to be built the same – she was tall and lithe, almost like Asami but with less grace._

_“There is?” Korra was older, clad in glasses and a tight white blouse, working at her computer, her eyes scanning over a document. “Is she nice?”_

_Asami wasn’t sure what to think of Korra’s outfit. She never thought the girl would work an office job. Maybe it helped pay the bills. Of course, with Asami, that would never be a problem._

_“I don’t know.” The girl said, pulling up her striped socks. “She didn’t speak to me. Only to the elf girl.”_

_“Segregation, eh?” Korra smiled tightly at her screen. “That’s probably for the best. Where’s your brother?”_

_“Here, mom!” A boy, a little younger, the same blue eyes and spikey hair, popped his head around a corner. Had that corner always been there? Asami’s mind was foggy. “What’s up?”_

_“You put the dinner in, right?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Good. If you’re going out to play, make sure you’re back before dark.”_

_“Duh.” The boy stuck out his tongue. Asami could imagine Korra doing the same as a child. She didn’t like this image though – for some reason, these children unsettled her._

_“Don’t get cheeky with me.” Korra scolded, looking over her glasses at the boy. The boy simply sighed, running his hand through his hair, before dashing off to wherever he came._

_“Bolin’s such a handful.” The girl laughed._

_“Just like Bolin the first.”_

_“I think Uncle Bo might be worse.” The girl giggled._

_…Uncle Bo? Did that mean that…?_

_“Maybe.” Korra laughed. “Have you seen your dad around?”_

_“He’s getting back from the station at ten.” The girl sighed. “I wish he came back sooner.”_

_Asami felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest, slowly, agonisingly slowly. The dull spikey hair made sense now. These children… Korra was married, or at least with, in a romantic sense, Mako._

_“I wish so too, honey.”_

Asami’s eyes widened, as she stared up at her ceiling. What was that? Was that the future? Or just a dream?

Mecha was nowhere to be seen. She got up, looking for her cat, softly calling out his name. The dream was still shaking her, but she had to put those thoughts aside. They didn’t matter. They were irrelevant.

“Mecha!” She spotted the kitten, playing with her hairbrush at the top of the stairs. Asami skipped over the unlucky step, and pulled the piece of rubber from the cat’s paws. He’s managed to dislodge a large portion of chestnut hair from the tendrils.

She held the hair in her palm for a minute, pretending that she didn’t know exactly who’s hair it was.

It was only when a tear splashed onto her arm, dripping from her chin, that she realised she was hurting.

“What the fuck?” Asami breathed. Mecha looked up at her with wide eyes. She wondered briefly if he could understand her.

It was the girl, Asami realised. That was what had upset her. The girl Korra had called _honey_ , her daughter. That child’s eyes had bothered Asami, and she didn’t want that girl, whatever her name might be, to think that witches were bad. To think that Asami was bad.

“I have to go see Korra.” She told Mecha. “I have to make sure she doesn’t… Doesn’t tell her children that I was a bad person. That witches are bad people.”

Mecha blinked, and she knew he didn’t really calibrate what she was saying, but in that moment she was sure he was asking her if she was insane. She didn’t have time to care, though. Mecha was placed next to the hairbrush, and Asami had turned to leave before she paused, turning back to the hunk of rubber and picking it up.

 _In case I need it,_ she thought.

The black cat was still staring at her, and she rolled her eyes at him.

“Stop looking at me like that.” She muttered. The cat didn’t stop.

She jumped the unlucky step, running the rest, and pulled her coat from the stand by the door. Then, she rushed out into the garden, only to remember that Kuvira had taken the SUV.

It was then that Asami should have turned around, decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. That Korra wasn’t worth the trouble, and the woman’s children could think of Asami whatever Korra pleased, because she didn’t care enough to fix it. The Asami of three weeks ago would have turned around, and thought exactly that.

But this Asami couldn’t. She didn’t know why. She just couldn’t.

With confidence, she marched to the bottom of the street, and did something she’d never done in her whole life. She waited at the bus stop for the bus into the city.

“That’s too many yuan.” The driver sighed, as Asami passed him the large note.

“It’s all I’ve got on me.” She said.

“Seriously, lady?” The man sighed, shrugging. “I won’t be able to give you any change.”

“That’s fine.”

“If you’re sure.”

The man had stepped on the pedal before she’d even sat down. She chose a window seat, one that didn’t look sticky and didn’t smell funny (it was also the only seat that fit this description), and looked out at the passing signs and pedestrians.

She knew they were near Korra’s apartment, because she recognised the building from a few hundred metres away. Old, rickety, Korra’s home. Stopping the bus was more awkward than she expected it to be. Pressing the button was easy enough, but Asami stood up far too soon, and everybody watched as she made her way to the front of the vehicle.

“Thanks.” She told the driver, who said nothing in return.

The walk to the apartment complex was short, and cold. Asami rushed through the rain. When had it started raining? Had it always been raining? Korra hadn’t had a coat with her earlier, and Asami hoped she’d been okay.

There was a man at the front desk. He stared at Asami closely as she entered the lobby, shaking her arms and legs to remove the excess water.

“You know Korra, don’tcha?” The man asked.

Asami’s head shot up. “Yes. Why?”

“Thought you did. Saw you with her a few times, last week and stuff.” The man nodded. “Did you know why she happened to be crying earlier? It’s not like her to not say hello.”

“Crying? She was crying?” Asami demanded, slamming her hands onto the man’s desk. “Why was she crying?”

“That’s… What I asked you?”

“Oh. So it was.” She retrieved her hands. “I’m going to go check on her.” She was already in the elevator, the cold and near-broken death machine, before she’d finished her sentence.

She tapped her foot nervously as it went up.

_Could this thing not go any faster?_

Finally, the door clicked open on the fourth floor, and Asami _sprinted_ to Korra’s dorm room, pounding on the hardwood. It was only then that she realised she hadn’t thought this through at all.

What if it wasn’t Korra that answered? What if it was that Bolin character? Or worse, Mako? Was he who Korra had called to get home? Had Korra got back with Mako?

Why did that bother her so much?

She was relieved – though only for a moment – when it was Korra that opened the door. Her face was red and blotchy, her eyes swollen with tears, and her hair was a raggedy mess upon her head.

Korra took one look at Asami before attempting to slam the door, but Asami was too quick for her. She had placed her foot just so, in the door way, that Korra wouldn’t be able to close it properly. Korra growled in frustration, trying to shut the door again, and all Asami could think was _thank the lord for heavy-duty fashion boots._

“Fuck.” Korra spluttered, and seemingly another wave of upset overtook her, because she was suddenly crying at the foot of the door, her face hidden in her hands.

Asami stared down at her for a moment, unsure as to whether she should pass the barrier of the doorframe, but when Korra let out a particularly choked sob, she knew she had no choice.

Slowly, she pushed the door open, and Korra let her, moving backwards out of the way.

“Korra, honey…” Asami simpered, coming to her knees. Maybe it was the wrong thing to say, because Korra shot her a particularly hateful look – one that hurt her more than she’d care to admit. Nevertheless, when Asami wrapped her arms around Korra’s shoulders, she was met with no resistance at all.

After a few seconds of unmoving embrace, Asami softly closed the door behind them, trying not to make any more noise than was absolutely necessary.

“Are you alone?” She asked, immediately regretting it in case Korra thought she had _ulterior motives_. Not that she would, obviously.

(She didn’t even like girls. Not really. Not that much.)

(Okay, well. Maybe she did. Just a little bit.)

“Mhm.” Korra nodded, tears still streaming down her face.

Asami was burning to know what had happened to upset Korra. It was probably something to do with the love potion; Asami could imagine how overwhelming coming out of something so feral, so intense, would be. But it couldn’t just be that, could it? No, she was sure there was something else.

“Shall we move?” Asami whispered. Korra looked up at her, blue eyes redder than Asami would ever wish to see them. She paused, hesitant. Asami could see the contempt there. The dislike for Asami in those eyes. It made her seep with guilt, but she bit back those feelings, putting a pin in them to address at another time. Not right now, not when Korra was crying.

“Okay.” Korra finally seemed to concede. Her body, muscular as it was, was docile and floppy from exhaustion. Asami helped her up.

She wondered how long Korra had been crying for. She’d stormed out of the courts about three hours previously, and it would have taken Korra at the most thirty minutes to get home, after however long it took for her taxi (or friend, maybe) to get her. Had she been crying for the last half hour? For the last hour? Since she _got home_?

Asami couldn’t bear that thought. Not for a moment. It tugged on something deep within her, something she’d been desperately avoiding, repressing at all costs.

They managed to move over to the couch, Korra hanging on to Asami for sheer life. It made her wonder how Korra had got to the door in the first place. Perhaps the sight of Asami, on top of everything else that Korra had faced that day, had simply been too much.

 _I shouldn’t have come, then_.

Except, with Korra so small, so weak, smaller and weaker than she had ever been, even when under the potion, how could Asami ever believe that?

“You’re a bitch.” Korra murmured softly. Asami’s hands were resting tentatively on her shoulders. Korra’s eyes wouldn’t meet hers, but she was still under Asami’s hold, and Asami didn’t dare take back her hands.

“I know.”

It must have surprised Korra, because blue met green. She looked away quickly, her eyebrows furrowing. She fell back into silence. At least the tears had stopped.

“Korra.” Asami said quietly. She told herself she’d be okay if Korra didn’t respond.

“Yes.” Stiff. Hard. If concrete had a tone, it would be what Korra just used. Asami ignored it.

“Why are you crying?” She tried to sound soft, to show Korra that she truly cared, cared more than she ought to.

The message must have been unwanted. Korra pulled back, gritting her teeth, Asami’s palms cold against the air before she took them back to her side. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Korra muttered sharply, and Asami let out a sigh.

“I would like to know. I want to help you.”

“And cast another spell on me? _Die!_ ” She spat.

Asami raised her eyebrows at Korra’s dramatics.

“Isn’t that a little harsh?”

She saw it – it was easy to miss, but Asami had definitely seen it. A tiny crack in Korra’s tough façade. A faulter, if you would.

“I think it’s perfectly adequate.” Korra mumbled, and it was almost a _pout._ Almost a completely adorable pout.

Asami giggled, unable to bite back the noise, and Korra shot her the mother of all death stares, but it didn’t hurt quite so much – at all, actually. Korra’s tense posture had softened, and she was now only an inch or two away from Asami.

“Can I brush your hair?” Asami blurted out, her eyes shooting to the mess on Korra’s head. A cute mess, but a mess nonetheless.

Korra’s eyes widened. “No! Is… Is it really that bad?”

She pulled out her phone, looking at her head in the camera screen. Her eyebrows raised. “Ah. It is that bad.”

“Is that a _yes, you can brush my hair Asami_?” She asked again, and this time the deadly look in Korra’s eyes wasn’t quite so deadly. It didn’t pack the same punch as it had a minute ago.

“Will you braid it?” She asked lowly.

“If that’s what you want.” Asami was already pulling the hairbrush out of her pocket. “Oh! I didn’t just like, bring this, because I assumed you would—I don’t even know why I brought it. My cat was just playing with it, because it had so much of yo… That part doesn’t matter. But anyway I just took it off him before I left the house so it’s with me and…” Asami faded off, Korra’s eyebrows getting gradually higher and higher on her perfect face.

“Just brush my hair, Asami.” Korra sighed, turning around on the couch. “Do you need hair bands?”

“I have some.” Asami whispered, her mind reeling from Korra using her name. Sure, it wasn’t _Sami_ , but it was still like electricity shooting straight through her ear canal, to her brain. It even made her heartrate pick up.

What was _happening_ to her? She must have been going insane. Or maybe she was ill. She certainly felt like she had a fever, with how warm her face felt.

Asami brushed Korra’s hair in relative silence. She worried she was breathing too loudly, but when she didn’t breathe for too long, her breathing got extra loud which probably sounded weird. Korra was no doubt wondering why Asami was _suffocating_ behind her, but had the decency to not question it.

“It was Mako. He, uh, made me cry.”

The words were softly spoken, yet they hardened Asami immediately.

She stopped brushing, her grip on the rubber turning her knuckles white. She lowered the brush to the couch, and started the braid, pretending that she’d meant to stop her strokes (when in reality, she could have kept those up all night).

“How did he make you cry?” Asami asked. She sounded angrier than she intended to sound, but a lot less angry than she felt.

Korra sniffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her sleeve. Immediately Asami took a handkerchief out of her pocket and handed it to her.

“Use this.” She whispered, and Korra simply stared at it, before finally, cautiously, wrapping her fingers around the fabric and bringing it up to her face.

“Is this a witch thing?” She asked, her voice muffled by the fabric.

“It’s more like an Asami thing.” She replied. “Now, will you tell me what Mako did?”

“Will you do something to him?” Korra asked instantly.

Asami wondered what Korra was really asking. If Asami _did_ do something to Mako, that was affectively like saying she liked Korra, in, as Kuvira would so eloquently phrase it, a _gay way_. Then again, Korra knew everything that had happened between them over the last few days, and she knew that Asami had been under no such spell, like she had been.

If there was a future for them (which Asami told herself very sternly that there was not) then Korra had a very clear and chalked advantage at that moment, in the game of love.

“Only if you want me to.” Asami murmured, quieter than anything said so far. It was like a confession all on its own, and it made her heart race.

She finished the first braid, the Dutch pattern stretching down the length of Korra’s hair, tying neatly at the bottom of her scalp. The bobble she’d used was black, since it was for Asami, and the way it stuck out against the hazel of Korra’s hair made Asami smile to herself. Like an idiot. It was literally just a hairband.

“I don’t.” Korra said monotonously. It was a thinly veiled rejection. Asami knew it; Korra did too.

“I won’t then.” Asami started the second braid, meticulously matching it to the first. She’d be damned if Korra didn’t look in the mirror, and feel slightly impressed. Even if it was only by Asami’s ability to plait hair. “What did he do, though?”

“Played me, I guess. Started dating a new girl. ‘Cos she’s a movie star. Good for his career. Then he said that the only reason he dated me was because of my dad. Which sucked. Oh, and also that if things end with his new girlfriend, I’ll always be his backup.”

Asami’s jaw hung open. A very small part of her was wondering if Mako had just dated her because of her father’s business, and mother’s status, but the majority of her was angry. Angry for Korra, rather than herself.

“I’m sorry.” Asami said softly. “You really liked him.”

“I guess I did.” Korra groaned. Asami snapped the bobble into place, but only had a second to inspect her work because Korra had thrown herself forward, weeping all over again. “I’m such an idiot!” She cried.

Asami sprang to her feet, coming around to Korra’s front. This time, Korra threw herself into Asami’s arms. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she was taking advantage of Korra, since she was in such an emotional state, but if _this_ counted as taking advantage then she didn’t even want to think about the last few weeks.

“Don’t worry… It’s okay… You’re allowed to cry…” Asami whispered into Korra’s ear, that familiar scent of sea salt body wash entrapping her. She began to rub gentle circles on Korra’s back, and was delighted when Korra sank into the hold.

“You don’t even understand!” Korra bawled, “Because you didn’t even like him! But I did. I really, really _did._ ”

“I know, honey, I know.” Asami felt her own eyes prick with tears, but she blinked them back, furious at herself for putting her own feelings before Korra’s. She needed to comfort the girl, not make it about her.

“Do _you_?” Korra pulled back. Her eyes were so red, so puffy. Asami wanted to reach over and kiss them. “Have you ever liked somebody so much it _hurt?_ ”

Asami thought for a moment, before shaking her head. “I’ve never liked a boy so much it hurt.”

If Korra noticed her little alteration, she didn’t mention it. She just sobbed, silently, falling into Asami’s hold like she was a warm bed on a cold night. Then, she stiffened.

“I shouldn’t be… This is…” Korra tried to pull back, but seemed to give up, laying once more into Asami’s embrace. “I hate you.” She whispered into the crook of Asami’s neck.

The green-eyed witch couldn’t help but think she didn’t hate Korra at all. What was the film called? Ten Things I Hate About You? She didn’t hate Korra, not even close. Not even a little bit, not even at all.

But she could hardly say that, could she?

“Korra…” Asami said carefully, after around a minute had passed. “Don’t be mad at me, try to hear me out. But would you like me to cast a spell on you again, to help you get to sleep?”

Korra drew back. Her eyes flashed with fear, but the anguish must have beat it down, because after a moment she shakily nodded.

“Okay…”

Asami was confident she could do it. Korra laid down on the couch, rather than approaching the bedroom, which Asami was glad for because if she sat in Korra’s bed again she might just fall asleep right then and there, and she’d surely be yelled at by Korra when she woke up. This was better. This was what needed to be done.

The girl closed her eyes, and for a split-second, Asami let herself indulge in the girl’s beauty. Only for a split second, however.

After, she summoned her wand, and pressed it to Korra’s skull.

“ _Somnus_.” She whispered, a green glow emitting from the tip of the wand. Korra’s breathing evened out immediately, and Asami knew at once that her spell had worked.

Would it have worked a month previously? Asami wasn’t so sure.

She found the blankets in the cupboard in the bathroom. The apartment was somewhere she knew well, after she’d been in and out of there for a whole week, when Korra had been unconscious. Placing the blankets around Korra, she swaddled her like a baby, before pulling out one of the cushions from the seat and settling it under the girl’s head, as a makeshift pillow.

 _Like sleeping beauty_ , she thought mindlessly.

Asami almost leant down and kissed Korra’s forehead, but she didn’t. Not without Korra’s explicit permission, would she ever lay her lips on the girl again. And Korra would never give such permission again, so… So, that was that.

She was fine with that. Even if that thought made her heart ache. She was _fine_ with it. Truly.

“Stop _hurting_.” She hissed at her own heart. It didn’t stop, of course, and she rolled her eyes. Is this what Korra had felt like, under the affects of the love potion? Asami wasn’t in love with Korra, so it must have been far worse.

She sighed.

“Sleep well, honey.” She mumbled, stroking a strand of hair out of Korra’s eyes, before picking up her hairbrush and leaving the apartment, to trail back to her own, very lonely cottage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this fic really isn't angst heavy. this is probably the most emotionally charged section, and even then, it's interwoven largely with fluff.


	11. HOW TO BREAK A WITCH'S HEART

Three nights, and three days.

That was how long it had been since she had last seen Korra. It felt like too long, like a hundred years, for a reason she could not determine, and no matter how many times Asami told herself that this number of days was only going to get bigger, that Korra would never want to see her again, she couldn’t stop herself from longing for her, desperately wanting her. Her touch, her smile, the blue of her eyes.

 _Yearning_.

Yes, yearning. That was how to describe it. Like some form of painful yearning. It was easy to ignore on the first day away from her. Just a soft grip on her heart, playing with the valves there in a way that was both shocking and delicate, scratching yet teasing, and even though it made her tear up right before she was going to bed, it had been – for the most part – manageable. The yearning, on the first day, had been _manageable_.

That night, she’d not been able to sleep, but even that had been fine. Asami could explain that emotion as nerves from the courts, or guilt, or something that wasn’t _missing Korra._ But she it really was that. Her self-denial only ran so deep.

The next day the pain was worse. Asami had actually hoped the worst was over, that it was just that day of hurt, and now it was over, so this increased pain had been disconcerting. She’d stayed in bed all day, called in sick to her class, and conjured a large quantity of chocolate ice-cream.

(She was pretty sure she’d never had that much ice-cream collectively through her whole life, but she’d had as much as she could stuff into her that day. It had helped, a little.)

It was that night that she realised it was heartache. Or, when she burst out for her ocean of denial, gasping and spluttering, her lungs burning, her heart aching. Something along those lines.

It had to be because of that stupid bond Kya broke. That was how Asami justified it initially. It was just the excess of that spell. She didn’t actually _care_ what Korra was up to. She had no right to care, after all. She’d done something truly terrible, and gotten away with it entirely.

Except, her conviction wavered a little. If it was just the bond that made her feel like this, then would those blue eyes haunt her as they did then? Would she text Opal, _Opal_ of all people, to see if Korra was okay (and become angry when the human didn’t respond)? Would she agonise over and over again about casting another invisibility potion, and going to find Korra, just to ‘check in’. Asami had never _checked in_ with anyone in her life.

But she’d learnt her lesson about forbidden spells, at least for the time being.

The day Asami had just experienced had even been worse than the ice-cream day. The third day, of whatever hell she was in. It seemed like she’d progressed from stabs of heart pain and latent tears, to uncontrollable crying. It was as if she was grieving a lost love one, and Asami despised herself for being so obnoxiously emotional.

Like seriously. What was _that_ about?

She hadn’t even cried like this when her mother had died.

(She’d been six, of course, and she’d known it was going to happen, but even so.)

“Are you _fucking_ kidding me?” She muttered, as more tiny spheres of salted water began to escape her eyes. She was looking up at the swirling pattern of her ceiling, trying to follow the lines until she was lulled asleep, but the more she stared at the lines, the more she wished she was staring at Korra, and _great, she was fucking crying again_.

Rolling over, she found her phone, wiping away the stray tears with the sheet of her bed. It was only a few taps of her finger, and she was already feeling better.

“ _Hello?_ ”

Kuvira’s voice rang clearly through the room, and Asami latched onto it, enjoying the familiarity of her harsh tone.

“ _Asami? Are you there?”_

“Yeah…” Asami’s voice croaked, and she wished, wished _desperately_ , that she hadn’t come across so whingey and sad, but it looked like there was no choice in the matter. Her body was ruling her, at that point in time.

“ _It’s Korra, isn’t it_?”

“…No.” She lied.

“ _Come over_.”

“Aren’t you with Opal?”

“ _She was asleep a while back. Don’t stress it_. _If you need me, I’m here for you… Bro.”_ She added the last part to make it less awkward, Asami could only assume. Not that she even felt the awkwardness. All she could feel was _grateful_. Grateful that she’d ended up with one good friend along the way, somehow.

“I’m on my way.” She said, before hanging up.

Asami contemplated whether or not to get dressed, but ultimately decided not to – what was the point, after all? The pyjamas she had on were warm, and it was undoubted that she was going to crash on Kuvira’s couch. She shuddered, thinking of the state of said couch. The _orgy_ couch, as Kuvira had once eloquently called it. What a suitable name.

On second thoughts, she grabbed a thick denim jacket, one that had fur lining the insides. She’d rather sleep on that, than any blanket Kuvira could supply.

“Mecha, baby, I’m going out, okay?” She cooed, pressing a kiss to her dozing kitten. He purred, laying further into her blanket, flicking his black tail as if to say she was permitted to go. She chuckled at his behaviour. _The little imp._

When she opened her door, her father was stood there. He didn’t seem to have been peeping, and his knuckle was raised as if to knock. His face was full of concern, and she fent a stab of guilt. She hadn’t talked to him at all in the last few days.

“Asami!” He jolted backwards. “I was just… Coming to see if you were okay.”

“Ah.” She let out an exhale. “Thanks, Dad.”

He must have been surprised at her response, because his eyes did a double-take. Was she usually so spiteful?

“And… You _are_ okay, right?”

“No, not entirely.” She smiled at her own honesty. “I’m going to go sleep with—uh, _at_ Kuvira’s. If that’s okay, with you. Uhm.”

She’d never even asked for her father’s permission at the age of ten, so why on earth was she asking now, as a fully-grown woman almost out of college?

“Of… Of course it’s okay.” He seemed as puzzled as her. “If there’s anything I can help you with… You’ll let me know?”

“I will.” Asami promised. She probably wouldn’t, but she didn’t want her father to go to bed feeling worried about her. Vaguely, she knew this was the nicest she’d been to him in a very long time, but she chose not to ponder that. She wasn’t even being nice. Just _civil_. How bad of a daughter had she been?

“I won’t keep you then.” He shook his head, waddling away back to his bedroom. He really did remind her of a penguin.

“Night, Dad.”

“Goodnight.”

She crept down the stairs, skipping the unlucky step, and listening quietly to the creeping of their old home. It was calming, in a way. There was even the pitter patter of raindrops outside, knocking on the walls and roof of the cottage as if they were asking politely to come in. She could imagine a night like this, with Korra. The two of them cooking in the kitchen, Korra’s hair plaited, her mouth full of something the South would consider a delicacy, and the rest of the world an abomination.

Korra would wrap her arms around Asami’s waist, and quietly whisper her thanks for Asami’s cooking. Asami would laugh, saying she didn’t cook it. That it was just her magic. But Korra would thank her anyway. Then they’d dress up in their most embarrassing pyjamas and make hot cocoa, before accidentally falling asleep on the couch, curled into each other. Asami could imagine her father’s face when he’d find them the next morning – surprised, a little embarrassed, maybe even smug.

Asami bristled, pushing the false reality out of her head. As fun as it was to live in her own little fictional world, she was expected at Kuvira’s soon. And she wanted to see her best friend more than she wanted to be upset by her own imagination.

Kuvira _had_ dropped off her SUV the next day, and Asami had checked it tirelessly for any traces of Kuvira and Opal. Thankfully, the car was not a victim to their sexual rampage that Kuvira described to her often, in _vivid detail_. It made her a little sad, because Asami hadn’t had sex in almost a month, and after everything that had happened it legitimately felt like years.

_But do you really want to have sex, if it isn’t with Korra?_

She knew the answer was no. She pushed that thought aside as well, slotting it next to her fictional Korra universe.

The drive was easy, as it always was to Kuvira’s. The roads were that right level of smooth; the traffic was that perfect level of clear. She liked to drive. It was her distraction, like how Korra went to the gym. _Aaaand she was thinking of Korra again. Just great. At least she wasn’t crying. Wait!_

She swiped her cheeks with the pads of her fingers, just in case. But no, she wasn’t crying. Thank the High Courts.

Her eyelids felt a little heavy, but she blinked back the sleep, focussing as hard as she could on the road. It was as though the slight rain outside was lulling her to rest. Luckily, she didn’t crash the car before reaching Kuvira’s place.

It was a big apartment, contemporarily designed, with Asami didn’t _know_ how many bedrooms. Plenty, enough for all of her sex-crazed roommates.

She knocked, sending Kuvira a text as she did. The rain wasn’t unbearable, but she’d rather be inside as soon as possible. It took about a minute before her wish was granted.

The green-eyed girl that opened the door wasn’t the one she expected.

“Asami.” Opal said calmly. Her hair was ruffled, her clothes were dishevelled, and her lips were puffy and pink. Asami had obviously interrupted something.

“Oh, Opal.” She said. The two weren’t exactly _friends_ , and Opal probably hated Asami (not that she could blame her for that), but they did know each other enough to converse. And enough for Opal to ignore Asami’s messages, apparently. She frowned, remembering that detail. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Woke up.” She shrugged.

“Sorry if I’m… Interrupting.” She paused, her eyes running over the chaos that was Kuvira’s place. Kuvira’s room itself was always spotless, with pressed sheets and dustless surfaces, reflecting her law-abiding personality, but her other roommates, and Opal, more than likely, clearly weren’t birds of a feather. The sitting room was a _tip_.

“You’re not. Well, you are.” Opal smiled slyly. “But I can wait till you crash on the couch to finish. If you know what I mean.”

“That’s _so_ nasty.” Asami sighed. “Take me to Kuvira.”

Kuvira was sat on her bed, grinning at something on her phone. Opal sat next to her, peering over Kuvira’s shoulder.

“You texting other girls, Vira?” Opal asked with a teasing smile, kissing the base of Kuvira’s jaw. Asami’s chest panged in jealousy, not for Opal or for Kuvira, but for the intimacy. She missed Korra, and she had no business missing her in the first place.

“You wish.” Kuvira put her phone down, meeting Opal’s lips with her own. “I’m all about you…”

“Uh. Guys?” Asami cringed. “I’m _right_ here.”

It was Opal that drew away. “Yeah, you are. So, what did you want?”

“Uh, well…” Asami wasn’t sure how to ask for _comfort_ , and she highly doubted Opal was going to give it to her. And then, she realised she didn’t even deserve comfort. She deserved to rot in her room, alone, cold, miserable. She wouldn’t be cold, actually, but still. Alone and miserable.

“Take it easy on her, Opal.” Kuvira sighed, moving towards Asami. They didn’t touch, but the support was there, in the space between them. “Heartbreak kinda sucks.”

“I’m not heartbroken.”

“She’s not heartbroken.”

They both said it at the same time, and turned to one another. Asami grinned sheepishly; Opal looked away.

“Aren’t you, Asami?” Kuvira asked, ignoring her girlfriend.

(Was she her girlfriend? Again. Very unclear.)

“I’m not… I’m just. I’m something.” Asami sighed, ignoring the scowl on Opal’s face. “I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’m having all the symptoms of a love potion. I think I must have caused a double affect, or something. I know ferals can’t do that, but… Maybe it’s… Some kind of unheard love magic? They should call me the ‘Love Witch’.” The last part was added bitterly, but it did have a nice ring to it.

“That’s not—”

But before Kuvira could even really begin her sentence, Opal had placed a hand over her mouth. “A double-affecting potion, eh? You are the daughter of a Great One, after all. What are your symptoms?”

Asami thought for a moment, before listing them off as she would in a doctor’s office. “My heart hurts, all the time. It’s only getting worse. I have nightmares about her, dreams that turn into nightmares. Last night I woke up in a cold sweat more times than I can count. And even when I’m awake… I can’t stop thinking about her. And crying. Oh god, the crying. There’s been a lot of crying.” Asami ran a hand through her hair, stressfully. “I sound like an idiot.”

“You don’t.” Kuvira assured her.

“Up for debate.” Opal added snidely. “And yeah, that sounds like a love potion to me. Except… Wait, no… It couldn’t _be_?”

“Ope, don’t be a bitch.”

Opal ignored her girlfriend’s chastise. “ _Maybe,_ you just genuinely have feelings for her.”

Asami let out a long breath, one she’d been holding back for a long time.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“See, Opal! I told you not to—Wait, what did you just say?”

“I think I really do have feelings for Korra.” Asami clarified. “Double affect potions aren’t a thing. I’m not actually a love witch.”

“Another item that is _up_ for debate.”

Kuvira shot Opal another look.

“I just don’t know what I can do…” Asami sank down at the foot of Kuvira’s bed, burying her face in her hands. It wasn’t that she was going to cry, she was just too embarrassed to face them. Feelings were more humiliating than she expected.

“Well, if it makes any difference, I don’t think Korra _hates_ you.”

Asami shot up, staring intently at Opal. The shorter girl startled at the witch, but Asami didn’t back away. “Did she say something about me? What do you mean she doesn’t _hate_ me?”

“Easy tiger.” Kuvira said, pushing Asami out of Opal’s bubble of personal space.

“Oh, sorry.”

“S’fine.” Opal sniffed, picking at her nail. Kuvira’s hand snaked around her waist, and she didn’t push it away. “Korra has been super bummed out, is all I’m saying. Bolin hasn’t come back from wherever him and Mako are staying.” Asami flinched, thinking about Mako. Fucking _asshole_. If Korra hadn’t told her not to, she’d turn his fingers into slugs. “But she said something about you being nice to her. Something like that.”

“I did, uhm, go see her. A few days ago. She was pretty torn up about Mako, and also, you know.”

“You casting a malicious and manipulative potion on her, forcing her to have feelings for her, whilst you continuously treated her terrible.” Kuvira filled in the blank. Asami sent her a look.

“Yes. That.”

“She _said_ ,” Opal continued, her fingers rubbing along Kuvira’s knuckle, “That she understood why you used the potion, but she couldn’t forgive it. Especially because she was the victim. Some shit like that.”

“Oh.” Asami’s heart sank.

“And something about a dream of being on a broomstick.” Opal added thoughtlessly, turning her attention back to Kuvira. Without any say in the matter, Asami felt her heart swell. Korra had been dreaming of her. Sort of. She shouldn’t be surprised – it wasn’t like Korra had forgotten their weeks together. She’d just forgotten how she’d felt. Or, she remembered how she felt, just didn’t feel it anymore. Asami didn’t know the specifics, really.

Asami wondered what Korra was doing right then, at that moment. Probably at her apartment, sleeping. Maybe even dreaming of Asami, but that was far too much to hope for.

“She’s bi, you know.” Opal said suddenly, turning back to Asami. “Kuvira said you felt like crap because you didn’t think Korra would have wanted it otherwise. And I’m not saying she would have, because how the fuck would I know what she wants? But she’s bi, and she very much does like pussy, so it’s not like you forced a whole sexuality on her. Not to mention, you’re super hot. For a witch, I mean.”

“Watch it.” Kuvira growled, and Opal threw her head back with laughter.

“She’s bi?” Asami asked.

“I figured she’d have told you.”

Had Korra told her? Perhaps at the start, when Asami hadn’t really been listening to what she was saying. Oh, how she wished she could go back to that time. Would she have made herself stay away, or taken advantage of the situation at hand?

 _I would have stayed away_ , she told herself firmly. _I would have stopped all of this mess._

“Ah. Well, that does actually make me feel a little better.” Asami murmured. She hadn’t questioned Korra’s sexuality at all, not when Korra had been in love with her. But her only partner that Asami knew of was Mako, a male, and that definitely should have been a red flag, but she’d never even thought about it…

_Fuck! Why was she such a terrible person?_

“You’re not a bad person.” Kuvira said, as if she could hear Asami’s thoughts. “Everything that happened… You never meant for anything bad to happen. The malicious things you did, were all just tiny jabs and rude comments.” Asami rolled her eyes at that. “But the whole love potion business… You never meant for it to go so wrong. You couldn’t have known.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.”

“But does it make you feel better?”

It didn’t.

Before Asami could reply, her phone rang.

She stared at the caller ID in bewilderment. This couldn’t be real. She had to be dreaming. It wasn’t…

 _Korra_?

She picked up the phone quickly, so quickly in fact that she almost dropped it in her hands. The clumsy moment was fast forgotten when she pressed enter on the dial, pushing the phone to her ear, listening to the crackling of the line in sheer desperation.

“Korra? Is that you? Are you okay?”

_Do you miss me like I miss you?_

“… _Shaaami? Shalami_?” That was definitely Korra’s voice, but it didn’t sound right. It was slurred. Was she… _drunk?_

“Korra, it’s me. Where are you?”

A sniff. “ _Da Bathrooooom. Where are you?”_ She added in a sultry tone.

She was going to ignore that question.

“Which bathroom? Are you okay?”

Kuvira and Opal were shooting her concerned looks, but she ignored them, her attention solely on the phone, and more specifically, the voice on the other end.

“ _No… Well, maaaaaybe no. I’m shad. You really made me shad_.”

Asami’s heart lurched, and she felt tears pin-prick at her eyes. With Korra in her inebriated state, it was almost like she was under the potion again. There wasn’t any filter, and she was telling her the truth. It just so happened that the truth was breaking Asami’s heart, but why would Korra care about that now?

“I’m so sorry, Korra.” Asami breathed. Kuvira and Opal seemed to get the mood of the room, because they both stood up and left. Kuvira placed a tentative hand on Asami’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“ _Nah. It’sh… Yeah, uh, sh’cool_.” Korra sounded distracted, as if something was happening around her. Asami could hear the faint thumping of club music. “ _Just, I’m kindaaaa shcared_.”

“You’re scared? Why are you scared?”

“ _There was a dude. And he was a little, uh, forshful_.”

“Tell me where you are _now_.” It hadn’t meant to come out as such an order, but a protective streak Asami hadn’t known she’d had seemed to emerge. Korra didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she paid no attention to it.

“ _Fire Ferret_.” Korra told her. “ _The club near my plaish_.”

“Do you have a _lisp_ when you’re drunk?” Asami asked, standing up and pulling her stuff together. She was still wearing her pyjamas, but she didn’t have time to change. There was no way in hell she was getting changed.

“ _Had one when I wash little. Guesh it came back_.” Korra said.

“That’s adorable.” Asami had said it before she could stop herself, and she waited with bated breath for Korra to reply.

After an _exceedingly_ long pause, Korra whispered, “ _Thank you, shalami_.”

“You’re okay.” Asami had already burst through the door. Kuvira and Opal were sat on the couch, and she gestured towards her phone, mouthing ‘ _Korra_ ’ and pointing to the door. They understood.

Opal gave her the thumbs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the way i ONLY listened to taylor swift when writing this chapter looool


	12. HOW TO MAKE A GIRL LOVE YOU BACK

Fire Ferret was exactly the sort of place, the sort of club, that Asami had expected. A blacked out room, blaring disco lights, everyone dancing around in uncomfortably close proxemics, the smell of sweat thick in the air. She noticed the people making out, the people grinding on one another, but didn’t feel that same pang of jealousy she had with Kuvira and Opal. Nope. This was just gross.

Needless to say, she didn’t frequent such places often.

It took thirty seconds before a guy was hounding her, hands on her pyjama covered waist, swaying to the obnoxiously quick beat. Seriously, how did the pyjamas not weird him out? How horny could a man be? He was an elf, white hair, grey eyes. He wasn’t bad looking, either, but he also wasn’t really her type. Asami liked brunettes.

She pushed him away, apologising to him. He let go of her pretty quickly at least. Probably didn’t want to cross a witch. Right decision.

“Sorry, I’m seeing a friend.” She told him.

He shrugged, turning back to the music and continuing to sway his hips. She was glad he didn’t push any further – she wasn’t in the mood to handle more than one disgusting man, and if Korra’s call was anything to go by, she’d have her hands full. She hoped Korra was okay.

Surprisingly, the ladies’ bathroom was empty. Or at least, it appeared that way at first. There was a thick smell in the air – a pungent mixture of urine and alcohol, lightly masked with cheap drugstore perfume. None of the stalls were engaged, although they were all closed, probably to hide puke or some other abomination.

“Korra?” She called out, eyeing the closed stalls precariously. What if she was unconscious, and needed Asami’s immediate help? She wasn’t great at healing magic. What if—

There was a rumbling from the furthest stall, and the door flew open, hitting the wall with a crash. Out came Korra, wobbling on her feet, smiling widely at Asami. She stared at her for a second, suddenly shocked, her eyes narrowing as if she’d forgotten why she’d invited Asami in the first place, before her smile returned full-force and she was running her eyes down Asami’s body – in a way that made the girl shudder.

“You’re wearing pyjamash.” Korra said dumbly, staring at Asami’s pink clad legs. Asami shuffled, feeling a small bit humiliated. It wasn’t like she’d had time to change.

“I came straight away.”

“Oh.”

Was it just her but had Korra’s cheeks pinkened? It had to be the alcohol, and Asami was reminded of the context in which she’d received the phone call from Korra. The girl had been drunk, and more importantly, afraid.

“What happened? Was there a man bothering you?”

_Would you like me to turn his fingers into slugs?_

Korra nodded, looking over Asami’s shoulder at the closed door. “Mhm. But thisch girl helped me out. Told me to wait in here.”

Asami nodded. Clubs were meant to have at least some nice girls, after all. “And where is she now?”

Korra shrugged, her eyes finding herself in the mirror. “Gone.”

“Did you know her?”

“No. She was with her friendsh, scho maybe she went back to them.”

Asami got the picture. At least the girl had attempted to help Korra. The witch couldn’t help but feel angry, though, not at the girl but at herself, angry that she’d not been there to help Korra, even though Korra had made it very clear that she didn’t want Asami’s help. That inner conflict, however, had to be pushed aside.

Korra was in front of her then, and that was what mattered.

“Wear this.” She ordered, taking off the jacket and putting it over Korra’s shoulders. The girl, swaying on her feet, still made a show of sinking into the warmth.

“Thanks.”

“Shall I take you home, then?” The quicker they were out of this place, the better.

Korra looked at her, unmoving, anxiety clear on her features.

“What’s up?” Asami asked, softening her voice. She took a careful step towards Korra, giving her plenty of opportunity to move away if she wanted to.

“I can’t go home.” She said shortly. “I…” _Sniff._ “Mako’s there.”

 _No lisp that time,_ Asami noticed. Maybe she’s sobering up. Maybe the thought of Mako was sobering her up.

“Then, where shall I take you?” She asked.

“To the cottage.”

_Oh._

Did Korra know how her words affected Asami? She couldn’t have, surely. But Asami’s heart was beating wildly, and her palms were suddenly sweating (which was disgusting, and not at all witch-like), and the burning desire to protect Korra was back inside her chest, stronger than ever.

“You’re sure you want to go there?”

“It’s why I called you.” Korra nodded, her face suddenly serious. “Well, part of the reason I called you. I alscho…” She faded off, her eyebrows furrowing.

Asami was painfully aware that Korra was drunk, and if she got any information out of the human that sober Korra wouldn’t have said, then she’d probably get yelled at all over again, when Korra was back from the land of the drunken.

So she bit her tongue, and didn’t ask, even though she desperately wanted to know.

“Come with me, then.” She held out her hand, and Korra took it with a small smile, and another blush, clarifying that Korra was _indeed_ drunk.

They made their way out of the grungy bathroom, and back into the club. As soon as they were surrounded by the music and the sweat and the heat again, Korra latched on to Asami’s side, her fingernails digging into the pale flesh that her pyjamas didn’t cover.

“Scared.” She heard Korra mumble, and Asami didn’t know of _what_ , until she saw a very tall man – probably the son of a witch – storming over. He wasn’t pretty, with wet hair that looked sticky to the touch, and a pair of beady-looking cat eyes.

“Korra!” He smiled widely, his teeth sharp. Definitely the son of a witch – the cursed blood ran through him so obviously Asami almost flinched. “Where are you going? You never came to see me?”

“Back away.” Asami ordered clearly.

This man should obey her, being the son of a witch. There wasn’t much hierarchy when it came to non-humans, but the son of a witch should very much see his place, the human blood in him having diluted his magic and Asami’s as strong as ever.

“I don’t believe we’ve met.” His eyes turned to Asami, and she could barely hold back a shudder. Perhaps his magic wasn’t there, but she could feel what could have been. “The name is _Tahno._ And if you want, I can take both of you home, back to my apartment. I’ll warm you up.”

Korra’s grip tightened again. Asami’s heart conflicted – on one hand, Korra was touching her, seeking comfort in _her,_ and she was loving it far more than she should, but on the other hand, there was a scary evil son of a witch right there, who was sort of taking up the majority of her attention.

“I think we’re good, thanks.” Asami tried to walk past him, but a hand stopped her. His hand. She couldn’t believe his nerve.

“You don’t know good till you’ve spent the night with me.”

“It’s a no.”

“ _C’mon_.” Somehow, he’d managed to peel Korra away from Asami, and his hand was grabbing her waist, pulling her towards him. He was clever to go for Korra, who had no means to defend herself, magic-wise at least. “Korra here wants to, don’t you?”

Korra didn’t even reply, her eyes glazing over. The sight of that, of Korra so vulnerable she shut down, made Asami see red.

“ _Digitus Limax._ ” She hissed, unable to stop herself. Her wand was already in her hand; she hadn’t even had to consciously summon it. Perhaps Kya was right. Korra did make Asami better at magic.

She wasn’t sure if Tahno recognised the spell, but his eyes widened, and suddenly he let go of Korra, crying out in despair. His hands, which he had so dramatically thrust to the heavens, were now fingerless, and instead, ten slugs were squirming from his knuckles, five on each hand.

“Yuck!” Korra cried, stepping right back into Asami’s personal space. _Right where she belonged_ , Asami couldn’t help but think. She chided herself for that thought afterwards. Korra didn’t belong anywhere. But she couldn’t pretend it didn’t feel _right_ to have Korra so close.

“Let’s go home.” Asami said quickly, pulling Korra with her. If they stayed for too long, the scene they’d already created – _she’d_ already created, for Korra had certainly not told her to turn Tahno’s fingers into slugs, was bound to get bigger. Korra’s fingers entangled with hers, and she didn’t let go until she’d reached the cottage.

Asami’s heart was beating the whole way, and it wasn’t from the use of magic.

The cottage was warm, just as it always was, and Korra (regrettably) left her side.

“Just sit on the couch, I should check on Mecha.”

The time on the clock read four in the morning, but she was wide awake, adrenaline moving through her veins like driftwood down a current. The same could be said for Korra. She watched for a moment, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, as the human girl tapped her foot over and over and over again, against the side of Asami’s coffee table.

_Stressed. She’s stressed. How can I make her less stressed?_

She swiftly checked on her kitten, running up and down the stairs. He didn’t wake when she opened the bedroom door, his body still tucked in the same position under the sheets.

“Is he okay?” Korra asked, her head shooting up when Asami returned into the living room.

Asami sighed, nodding. The fireplace was off, but with a flick of her wand, it was burning bright. She hadn’t even had to summon her wand _then_ , for a menial house task _._ Why couldn’t this magic evolution have occurred when she was in high school, trying to pass AP charm-casting.

“Thanks.” Korra mumbled. Asami didn’t know why she was thanking her, until she realised Korra must have been cold. She was wearing a pretty tank top, with tight black jeans, and if Asami wasn’t suddenly concerned for the human’s body heat, she’d have noticed her own rising.

“Can I get you a blanket too?”

“Oh, no. I meant… I mean, yes please to the blanket. But I was thanking you for coming and helping me.” Korra stumbled over her words, pink again. The pinkness reminded Asami to fetch some painkillers for Korra’s inevitable hangover tomorrow.

“Of course I came to get you.” Asami waved her off, making her way towards the kitchen cupboard. There was a box in there, with all the non-magic medication they carried. There had to be some aspirin, or at the very least some paracetamol.

“You didn’t have to.” Korra called from the living room, and since she was out of eyesight for the human girl, Asami was free to let out a long sigh, at just how untrue that statement was.

There was some aspirin, luckily, and she poured a glass of water for Korra to take it with.

When she came back into the kitchen, Korra was looking at a picture of Asami as a child, a smile on her lips. “You were cute.” She said, turning back to face Asami, her smile growing. Asami’s heart ached for times since passed, even if those times didn’t truly count. “I liked the pigtails.”

“Thanks.” She whispered, placing the glass of water on a coaster. “Drink this, and take these.” She held out four white pills, and Korra eyed them curiously.

“Aspirin?”

“Mhm.”

“We only take two at a time, usually.”

By _we_ , she must have meant the human race.

“I didn’t know, so I just guessed.” She smiled sheepishly, sitting on the furthest seat from where Korra was sitting. Korra didn’t seem to get the message, however, because she scooted down the couch so that she was even closer to Asami than she had been a second ago. Placing two of the pills on the table, she put the other two under her tongue before taking a gulp of water. “I figured more pills would be safer than less pills.”

Korra almost choked.

“Wrong!” She laughed. “You could not be _more_ wrong.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.” But Korra didn’t make her feel like an idiot. On the contrary. The fact that Korra was bestowing this laugh upon her made her feel like a king. “Are you tired?”

“Hardly. I slept for most of today.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck. “I think exhaustion finally caught up with me.”

“You haven’t been sleeping?”

“Not properly.” Korra shrugged. The only trace of her previous drunkenness was the slight sway in her frame. “I was thinking a lot.” _That was quick,_ Asami thought.

She needed to turn the fire in the hearth down a little, it was getting rather warm in that room.

“About?”

“You, mostly.” Korra said, smiling in the same charming way she had on that first date. Now, finally, it had the desired affect – Asami could never let Korra know that, however. “And Mako. And me.”

“Oh.”

A silence fell over them.

She knew Korra was waiting for her to ask for more specifics. That _was_ the social cue, and she knew it, but she couldn’t risk Korra breaking her heart again. Maybe that was pathetic, maybe that was stupid, and selfish, and ironic since she’d quite literally broken Korra’s heart herself, only two weeks ago. But she couldn’t do it to herself; she wouldn’t.

Korra opened her mouth, and Asami’s heart divebombed, because Korra was going to tell her anyway. Tell her that she was grateful for Asami coming to get her, and that she wanted to be friends. Why did that sound so terrible to Asami? A day ago, she’d have leapt at that opportunity, but now it didn’t feel like enough. Didn’t feel like it would sate the sadness inside of her.

She didn’t miss Korra then, not when she right in front of her, and instead of missing her, it was as if she was craving something more. But what on earth could that _more_ be?

Korra had opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead, her stomach grumbled, and loudly, and Asami thanked the witches above for giving her this opportunity.

“Hungry?” She jumped to her feet. “I’ll make you something.”

The distance between herself and the kitchen felt like a hundred metres, even though it was more like five. She got there in record time, going so fast she almost tripped over her own two feet, and she could feel Korra’s bewilderment even without looking over. It was probably good that she could, because there was _no way_ she was looking over at her.

“Sure.” Korra said, standing up. She was watching Asami with an unreadable expression, and the fireplace was definitely far too hot, because now it was warm in the kitchen as well.

Asami didn’t even ask Korra what she wanted. She didn’t trust herself to; for some reason their was a frog in her throat, and she couldn’t work out why her body was reacting so chaotically, so instead of dwelling on that fact, she summoned her wand (consciously, that time), and made Korra’s favourite dish.

Or at least, she hoped it was still her favourite dish.

The pancake batter was made quickly, the pans already clean, but her magic had a tough time finding the frying pan deep enough for the squid – she was lucky she’d even _had_ squid, but when she’d seen it at the market, it had reminded her so much of Korra that she couldn’t just not buy it. She was happy she had, looking at Korra’s face then.

“Oh, you remembered my favourite food…” Korra mumbled.

“Mhm.” Asami nodded. It was a hard dish to forget, after all, and probably the strangest thing she’d ever concocted within the four walls of her kitchen.

“Thanks.”

“Thank me once you’ve eaten it, Honey.” Asami looked away as soon as she said it, scarlet blending with the ivory on her cheeks. _Fuck_. She hadn’t even thought about it! It had just slipped out!

She turned back to Korra, who was looking at Asami with the same expression as before – completely unreadable, but not angry.

“I will.” She said, and her voice was serious, and Asami didn’t understand it at all.

The food was good; Korra clearly enjoyed it. It was good that she did, because Asami had not enjoyed making it.

“Sami?” Korra said. Asami looked up from where she’d been staring (a particularly shiny spot on the countertop. She couldn’t look at Korra. That would be too much). “I just wanted to, well, apologise. For freaking out on you. Not that you didn’t do something super messed up!” She threw her hands up, and Asami tried her best to keep up with what Korra was saying, her heart beating at a million miles per second, “But I shouldn’t have said I hated you. I don’t. Hate you, I mean. I think I maybe should, but it… I don’t.”

“Oh.” Asami paused, unsure as to what to say. Korra didn’t _hate_ her. It confirmed what Opal had said before. She should feel happy, elated even. But it was the same as missing her and her being there – something within her wasn’t satisfied. She wanted more, even though she had no right to want it.

How selfish the heart could be.

“Thanks for the food.” Korra said at last, dropping her fork and knife onto the empty plate. “It was good. The food always is good here.”

“Magic.” Asami laughed.

“Yeah, magic.” Korra agreed, and Asami was glad that Korra wasn’t completely against magic and witches after the love potion.

“The love potion.” She said aloud. Korra looked up at her, confused. “Uh, I mean. I’m sorry. For the love potion. I wasn’t… I regret it. I regret a lot of things actually. But that, I regret the most.”

Korra let out a long breath, running a hand through her hair. “You know what? It’s okay.”

“It… Sorry, _what?_ ”

Korra laughed at Asami’s reaction.

“You saved my ass today, and you weren’t a huge bitch when I was under the love potion. Well, minus the first few days.” Asami grimaced. “And you really could’ve been much worse, if I look back in hindsight. You wanted to get revenge on Mako, right? Well, now I know that he’s a fucking dickhead, I get your motive.” She smirked. “Sucks that you had to use me to do it, but it’s not like anything bad has happened. Not really.”

“It could have, though.” Asami said swiftly, standing up. “You have to understand. The magic could have killed you. And at the start, I wouldn’t have cared if it had. You’re letting go of this _way_ too easily.”

“Who said I was letting it go?” Korra smiled smugly. “You’ll have to make it up to me.”

“How?”

“Breakfast was a start.” Korra nodded towards the empty plate, before letting out a long yawn. “Anyway. Can I crash on your couch?”

“Of course. You can use the spare room if you’d like.”

Korra held her forefinger up to Asami. “Don’t push it.” She warned, but she was smiling so impishly that Asami wasn’t sure if she meant it or not. “The couch is fine.”

“Oh… Okay.” Asami used her wand to send the dishes into the sink, to be washed later.

“Plus,” Korra said, and she actually _winked_ at Asami. _Winked_. “Not many girls have rushed in to a nightclub for me, wearing silk pyjamas. _Pink_ silk pyjamas, I should add.”

“They’re comfy.” Asami protested weakly, which only made Korra laugh again. Her genuine laughter was nice, nicer than anything Asami had heard over the last few weeks.

She really did Love Korra, didn’t she? Love with a capital L.

Curse that blasted love potion.

“Anyway, Imma hit the sack.” Korra yawned again, taking Asami’s jacket off of her shoulders and setting it on the stool she’d been sat on.

“I thought you weren’t tired?” She asked, eyeing her jacket.

“I wasn’t. Now I am.” Korra shrugged. “I change my mind on things.”

“So I’ve seen.”

“You gonna let me sleep now?”

“Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry.”

Korra shot her a lopsided smile, shaking her head. “Night, Sami.”

“G’night.”

Korra paused, turning around before she went back into the living room. The blue of her eyes looked almost black in the dim morning light protruding from the windows. They were enticing. Asami wanted to see them up close.

“Not gonna call me Honey?” She asked, and her voice was full of flirtation, and _my god_ it made Asami’s heart race.

“Oh! Well, uhm, I mean…” Asami stammered, her cheeks burning.

“Just messin’.” Korra shook her head at her for what must have been the trillionth time, and her eyes, dark as they were, filled with fondness. Except, it couldn’t be fondness, because Asami was a super evil, super scary, _witch_ who had poisoned her. Well, not poisoned. There was a lot of debate as to what to class a love potion as. Mind control? It wasn’t really mind control. It was more like _hormone control_. “Stop stressing, Asami. I’m not saying you’re forgiven, but stop pouting about it.”

“Can you _read_ minds?” Asami gasped.

“Didn’t Opal tell you?” Korra deadpanned, her expression completely flat.

_What the fuck?_

“…No?”

“Jesus, Asami, you really will believe everything.” Korra chuckled.

“Everyone always lies to me.” Asami jutted out her bottom lip, forgetting herself for a moment. “Kuvira tried to tell me humans have a special power called _tickling_ , or something.”

A glint passed through Korra’s eyes for a split-second, before she ran a hand threw her hair and looked away. “You’re keeping me up, now. C’mon. You go to bed as well. It’s almost five.”

“I won’t be able to sleep.”

“Try.” Was all Korra said, before moving over to Asami’s couch, and resting her head. It couldn’t have been ten seconds before Korra was snoring. And to think she said she wasn’t tired just a minute ago!

It was so adorably Korra, though, and now that she’d been given space to think, to breathe, she noticed how her heart was still racing, how something was pumping around her veins making her positively _shake_ with excitement. She hoped Korra hadn’t noticed.

Who was she kidding, she probably had.

In that moment, she was seventeen again, and Korra was the guy she wanted. Except, she didn’t want Korra.

(Well, she did, but not like how she wanted those boys).

It was more than just sexual want, or a want to be popular. A want to have someone as a trophy. She wanted to hear the girl laugh, to have the girl make her laugh. The awkward silences, the _chicken jokes_ , the adorable pouting and hair braids, the lisp when she was drunk.

Asami wanted _everything_ that Korra was, and that Korra would ever be.

“I don’t deserve it, though.” Asami realised bitterly.

Somebody else would love Korra better, no matter how well she loved her. Because at the end of the day, somebody else wouldn’t have dosed Korra with a love potion.

There was a nagging thought at the back of her mind, however, and no matter how much she pushed it away, it wouldn’t go. It almost felt like the voice of her mother, or maybe it was Kuvira, or maybe it was her own deepest desire, but…

_Was she giving in too easily?_

She’d already made Korra fall in love with her before, never mind the method, and even if the blue-eyed girl only viewed her as a friend now, that wasn’t set in stone. No matter what, Korra was still just a human, and as Romeo had to Rosaline, Asami could _woo_ her. Courtly-love style, baby.

That’s what humans were into, right?

She watched Korra for a minute, and not a second longer, so as not to be creepy.

She watched as her chest rose and fell, as her hair got in her eyes (she might be able to braid it again, one day), as a small drop of drool made its way down Korra’s cheek. Korra looked to be sleeping soundly, and, without even thinking about it, Asami cast a spell.

“Odorem somnia.”

The spell for good dreams.

She watched as Korra’s body visibly relaxed into her couch, just that little bit softer than her body had been before. _Good_ , Asami thought, _That was good magic._ Her mother had been the Good Witch, after all. She should do it, at least occasionally.

Climbing up the stairs – and skipping the broken step, as she always did – she entered her room, and delicately moved Mecha over to the other side of the bed, before pulling out the metal slab she so very rarely used, out of her side table drawer. She opened up her iPad, the iPad she so painfully had to charge at university, due to the lack of electronics at home, and hooked up the keyboard to the screen.

Now, all she had to do, was figure out what to search. Google had all the answers, didn’t it?

Asami squinted, her fingers easily sliding over the keys. She was good with computers, unlike some witches. She kind of needed to be, considering her position as heir to a tech and infrastructure company.

_How to make a girl love you back?_

The words were typed onto the screen, and Asami contemplated them for a moment. Was there a better way to phrase it? Was it just too embarrassing to search, after all? She swallowed, biting the bullet, and hitting the enter key on the board.

Immediately, a few wikihow articles popped up, some blogs, and even a few reddit asks. There were lots of sources to skim through, and Asami pulled out a notebook, making notes on recurring themes or important overarching ideas in each text, a skill she’d learnt all the way back in Research and Debate club, in eleventh grade.

 _How hard could it be?_ She thought, _To win Korra’s heart?_

And then she got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've literally got about three other projects waiting for this one to end (lol what is time management), but for my next fic, i'm thinking of *finally* delving into she-ra. not saying anything else for now, just letting y'all know.
> 
> [if u wanna msg me](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bisexualyoda1)


	13. HOW TO WOO A HUMAN GIRL

Korra woke up and for a brief second, she had no idea where she was. Her body wasn’t pressed against her usual sheets; she wasn’t surrounded by the usual scent of her room, of Opal cooking breakfast not too far away. There was no bacon and eggs and slightly dirty bedding.

Instead, her back was pressed into a couch – a comfortable couch, nonetheless, but certainly not a bed, and her nose was immediately filled with the scent of jasmines and something else. Something Kya had once told her was the scent of magic, when Korra had asked why her house smelled like fire and ice-cream.

_Oh, I’m at Asami’s cottage._

She opened her eyes, sitting up and looking around the familiar living room. There was a tingle on her skin, as if someone had recently touched her, but there was nobody in sight. Korra wondered vaguely if she’d see Asami’s father, since he supposedly lived here too.

There was a note on the coffee table. It stuck out to Korra, bright against the oak of the spotless surface.

Cream paper, smudged ink, and her name, spelled in beautiful cursive. She picked it up, unravelling it.

_Korra,_

_Class all day today._

_I won’t be back before you leave, but text me when you get home?_

_I want to know you’re safe._

_Asami_

Korra half wanted to wait till Asami got back, firstly because it would definitely surprise the older witch, and secondly, because, well, she didn’t _mind_ Asami’s company as much as she probably should. She should probably hate the girl, or at least hold some contempt for her, but although she was cautious, her heart was surprisingly unopposed to the witch. And her body was downright _comfortable_ , especially sat here like this, in the early hours of the day, basking in the place where Asami lived.

 _Probably because she’s so pretty_ , Korra decided, rolling her eyes at herself, _I bet if she didn’t have eyes like that I’d tell her to fuck off._

But she did have eyes like that, and even without Asami in the room Korra’s heart was fluttering at the note, most specifically at the last line. It was a little rich, that Asami wanted her to be safe considering the hell she’d put her through, but Korra knew that after Asami protected her from that guy ( _did she turn his fingers into slugs? Or was that her drunken imagination?_ ) she probably did want Korra to be safe. Or at least, not passed out in a club bathroom, which was very nice of her.

“Let’s head home then.” Korra muttered, lifting herself up. Her hair was a mess, and she briefly wished Asami could have been here to plait it, especially because she was positive she could ask her in a way that would make the girl blush delectably, but she wasn’t and her hair was a mess and the only thing she could do about it was run her hand through it a couple times and wish for the best.

The black kitten Asami cared for – _Mecha, right?_ – was watching Korra from the mantel. How the hell he had got up there, Korra couldn’t even guess.

“Hey Spidercat.” She greeted him, scratching behind his ear. He purred in content. This cat did seem to like her an awful lot, and she wondered if that was because he was connected to Asami in some way. A witch and her familiar had some sort of spiritual link, Korra was pretty sure. “She really likes me, doesn’t she?” She asked Mecha.

The cat didn’t seem to know, as he stared up at her with empty eyes, but the fact that Asami hadn’t even changed out of pink pyjamas to come and get Korra seemed like answer enough.

But how did she feel about Asami? Korra wasn’t sure. Attraction and affection were worlds apart, and she couldn’t exactly forget the first part of their relationship.

(Which was proving to be a double-sided knife, because Korra could remember Asami looking after her, brushing her hair, taking her on that broom, cooking her dinner countless times, and lots of other little things that she couldn’t seem to shake. It was unfair, because technically speaking, Korra couldn’t remember being dosed, either, only that she _was_ dosed, which just made everything harder to scrutinise.)

She did know, however, that she liked when Asami blushed. So she’d have to make her do that again. They’d probably bump into one another, considering Opal and Kuvira’s newfound romantic kindling.

Speaking of Opal.

“Hey, Opal. Can you come pick me up?”

“ _We figured you were at Asami’s because she never came back._ ” The voice of one of Korra’s closest friends replied, “ _Bolin and Mako have cleared out of the apartment, by the by. They were just grabbing Mako’s stuff, I’m pretty sure. Apparently he’s got some new swanky girlfriend with a new swanky apartment, so that’s probably the last we’ll see of him for a couple months. He does like doing that, doesn’t he? Meeting a girl and pretending he doesn’t have a whole group of friends that would like to meet her. Bolin told me the girl is a bitch, too. Which, well, yeah. Not surprising.”_

 _“_ Yeah,” Korra recalled her conversation with Mako from earlier that week. “He told me. A movie star.”

“ _Geez, he really does like girls with power. I don’t think he’s ever dated anyone who doesn’t have a rich dad, or some shit. Can’t believe you were into that_.”

The mindless words might have stung Korra a few days ago, even a few hours ago, but there was somebody else filling her mind now, as much as she wished there wasn’t, so she saw Opal’s comment for the joke it was. “Says the girl who’s dating a witch. You were the one that was all, _kill the witches_ , when Bolin and I would even mention one in passing.”

Opal’s laughter cracked down the line, and Korra smiled, pulling her shoes (that she did not remember taking off) back onto her feet from next to the front door. Mecha was still watching her, and Korra gave the kitten an affectionate pet. He was pretty cute. Asami had good taste.

“ _Kuvira’s not like most witches_.”

“How so?”

“ _Well, to start with, she hasn’t put me under a love potion_.”

“Oof, low blow, Opal.” Korra smirked. “And how would you even know? If she told you, the magic would break. At least, it’s meant to.”

“ _So, your saying I might be under a love potion?”_ Opal asked, and although her tone was joking, Korra sensed a tinge of unease.

“Nah. According to Asami, Kuvira’s more into metal magic. Something like that. And she’s an officer of witch law or some crap, so a love slave probably isn’t her style. You’re safe.”

Opal let out a tiny breath of air. “Yeah. Fair point. Also, you and Asami talk about things? Since when?”

“What do you mean?” Korra asked, opening the front door and carefully stepping out. “And, are you on your way?”

“ _Fuck, sorry.”_ There was a soft kissing noise, and a groan, and a _‘I’m going now, Baby’_ , and another groan, and Korra rolled her eyes but had to bite her tongue from smiling anyway. Opal deserved this, whatever _this_ was. “ _On my way_.” Opal said after another second. “ _But yeah. I thought we didn’t like Asami right now. You know, after the whole love potion thingy.”_

Korra took her seat at the foot of the driveway, waiting for Opal. She wasn’t sure where Kuvira lived, but hopefully it wasn’t that far away. If she worked in the city, and lived close enough to Asami to convene at the cottage, Korra guessed it was somewhere between ten to fifteen minutes away.

“I don’t like Asami _for what she did_.” Korra explained, shrugging at thin air. “Doesn’t mean she’s a bad person. Anymore. She changed. Ugh, I sound like a teenager talking about her skinny boyfriend who punches walls.”

“You do.” Opal confirmed. “But, you do think she’s changed?”

“I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. But she’s definitely not the same girl who locked me outside for a whole night.”

“So, you have a fat crush on her then, right?”

Korra’s ears darkened, turning maroon in colour.

“Fuck off, no I don’t.”

“So you don’t think she’s hot?”

“Those two statements aren’t the same thing.”

“So you _do_ think she’s hot?”

Korra groaned. She heard the sound of Opal’s car starting, and a low chuckle.

“I’m gonna hang up, Mermak.” She said. “Have a long hard think about your gay feelings for Asami, because this conversation is not over.”

“Yes, it is.” Korra snapped back, hanging up the call. As much as she liked Opal, talking romance with her had always been a no-go. She had never taken too well to Mako, only tolerating him because of Bolin, and she’d downright _bullied_ Bolin about Eska. Still, she was funny, and kind when she wanted to be.

But she wouldn’t be kind about Asami.

Opal pulled up around fifteen minutes later, and leant over the car, opening the door for Korra.

“Come on, sugarpuff.” She rasped, and Korra laughed.

“You’re a freak.”

“Oh, you have _no idea._ ” Opal said, biting her lip.

“Stop thinking about Kuvira and drive us home.” Korra snarled, and Opal let out another laugh before doing just that.

Flowers.

They were what sat on the doorstep. Flowers. Pink and white, and as pretty as anything Korra had ever seen. They were more delicate than roses, and lighter to touch, and Korra knew immediately that they were for her.

“Camellias.” Opal said. “And pretty ones too. They must be from Asami.”

“They could be from Kuvira.” Korra offered, but even she didn’t believe that.

“Trust me.” Opal smiled smugly. “I get better gifts than this from Kuvira.”

Korra shoved the girl away, muttering about her incessant need to make everything sexual, before picking up the flowers.

“They’re pretty. What does that label say?” Korra gestured to the laminated card that had fallen by Opal’s feet.

Opal picked it up.

“It says they’re white and pink camellias. I wonder if they mean anything.”

“Mean anything?” Korra asked. Opal had already torn her phone from her pocket, typing rapidly onto the screen.

“Yes, flowers have meanings, dumbass. Asami is a witch. You really don’t think she thought about it?” Opal pressed a website on the google page. “…Oh.”

“What is it?”

“White camellias mean _you’re adorable_ , at least, they did in the ancient Fire Nation. Where the witches come from.”

Korra felt her cheeks burn brightly, and she fumbled with the key to get inside the apartment. Asami thought she was adorable? Since when? “What about pink ones?” She asked, but she almost daren’t know.

“They mean that she’s longing for you.” Opal said, closing her phone. “A pretty forward message, if you ask me. Asami has the hots for the human. Dope.”

“You’re less of a bitch about this than I’d thought you’d be.”

“Oh, so it’s a _this_ now?”

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

Opal shrugged, following Korra into the apartment. “I liked how she went to save you last night. In those ridiculous PJs no less.”

Korra smiled to herself. “I liked it too.”

She made her way to her bedroom and laid down, belly first, onto her covers. It had only been one night away, but she missed the comfort of her old creaky mattress. Her own scent filled her nose, in the same way it always did when Korra was away from her room for too long, and she relaxed into the scent of sea salt. It was like a little trace of back home.

_Back home._

_Crap! Her parents were coming in like,_ she checked the calendar, _five days._

She almost let herself panic, because her parents would want to meet the _boyfriend_ she told them about, and would want to know why she wasn’t in class for a whole week, and Korra wouldn’t be able to give them an answer to either, but a ping from her phone grabbed her attention.

**Asami**

**btw, I may or may not have sent flowers**

**to your house.**

**just a payback for the time u got me**

**flowers ;)**

Korra smiled at the messages like a dork. Oh _god_. She could not be feeling like this over the witch that drugged her. Sort of drugged her. The line was blurry.

“What is going _on_ with me?” She muttered, as she typed out her reply.

**I got em. They’re pretty.**

**any particular reason you chose**

**camellias?**

The reply was instant. Korra let out a soft gasp.

**they make me think of u**

**oh**

**is that okay?**

**yeah**

**that’s okay.**

**good because you have more**

**coming tomorrow.**

**ASAMI WHAT**

**yeah. Plus, I made you this playlist.**

**HUH ???**

**// - link to spotify playlist - //**

**Uhhhhhh**

**Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

**Okay cool. Thanks. I shall**

**um**

**Check that out.**

**Yep.**

**Let me know when you do! :)**

Korra stared at the smiley face for a long time. A _really_ long time.

It hardly made sense to her. She could hardly process it. In her mind, she was going to flirt with Asami until she either got bored, or Asami left her alone, but she hadn’t expected to be… _swooning?_ Had the roles reversed already?

Impatiently, she clicked on the link to the playlist. The soft melodic tones of _La Vie En Rose_ almost made Korra choke on her own spit. She scrolled through the rest of the songs, only to note that they were all, indeed, sappy love songs.

“What the fuck, Asami?”

How on the nose could you _be?_ Korra would have found it alarming, if she wasn’t so flattered.

Korra’s heart was beating a little too quickly for her to pretend she hated it. She didn’t hate it. It surprised her, and she didn’t hate it, and she was most surprised that she didn’t hate it.

The next song that played was _Kiss The Girl_ from _The Little Mermaid_ , and Korra’s grin broadened. This had been her favourite film as a child. She couldn’t remember telling Asami that, but maybe she had, and maybe Asami had remembered.

“What are you mooning about?” Opal’s back was pressed against Korra’s doorframe, and she was wearing an obnoxiously knowing smirk.

Korra sat up abruptly, shutting off the music.

“I’m taking a shower!” She announced.

“A _cold_ shower, mayhaps?” Opal teased, and Korra shot her the middle finger, storming out of her bedroom and towards the bathroom. She didn’t have time for Opal’s teasing.

She had a playlist to listen to.

It was forty-four minutes long, the whole playlist, and Korra stayed in the shower to indulge in each song that came on. There were romantic jazzy songs, like _Dream a Little Dream of me_ by _Ella Fitzgerald_ , and there was more recent pop music as well. Asami clearly had a very varied taste. Korra hadn’t even thought Asami listened to music, but in hindsight, that was dumb.

When _I really like you_ by _Carly Rae Jepsen_ started playing, Korra slipped over in the shower, landing on her ass.

“Ouch.” She groaned, pulling herself back up

Did Asami _listen to this type of music?_

“ _I really really really really really really like you_!” Opal yelled from the corridor, her voice shrill and toneless. “And I want you! Do you want me? Do you want me too?”

“Shut up, Opal!” Korra cried back, turning off the shower.

_Who gave you eyes like that, said you could keep them?._

“You can say that again.” Korra said with a sigh, pressing pause on the music and wrapping the towel around her waist.

**Carly rae Jepsen?**

**Is this playlist a joke to u?**

**I like that song :(**

**WHY**

**DFGHJKLKJHG**

**Asami why are u like this**

**Like what :(**

**no more sad faces**

**I love the playlist**

**really!!!!**

Korra smiled at the exclamation marks. Fuck, this girl was sort of adorable. And annoying. And incredibly beautiful? And also a terrible witch? What the sweet fuck?

**Mhm. Don’t let it inflate ur ego.**

**Ur already HUGE ego***

**Whatever.**

**Can I call u when I’ve done in the**

**labs 2nite?**

**Call whenever :-)**

Korra had written it before she’d even thought about what Asami was really asking. Still, she didn’t regret the text. She wanted to hear Asami’s voice, as absolutely _gay_ as that was.

“What is happening to me?” She muttered.

“I second your dismay.”

Opal was at her doorway again. Korra threw a pillow at her.

The call rang, and Korra waited two rings before picking it up. She had, in fact, been laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering whether or not Asami was going to call her. It wasn’t hope, as such. Just wondering.

Nevertheless, when the blaring tune of a _facetime_ call (Of course Asami used facetime. Of course.) filled her room, Korra shot up, cursed, and held her breath until she thought long enough had passed for her to reasonably open the call, and not look like completely obsessed freak.

(What on _Earth_ was going on with her?)

“Hey, Korra.” Asami was in the rain, walking at a quick pace down a side street. Korra hadn’t realised it was raining, the noises of the creaking apartment drowning out the sound of splattering rain outside, but it was raining. Asami’s hair was wet, and her makeup was a little smudged, but she still looked beautiful.

“Yo.” Korra grinned, playing it cool. She picked the phone up and rolled onto her back, making eye-contact with Asami the whole time. “I wasn’t expecting a facetime call. It doesn’t matter though.”

“I just wanted to see what you look like before you go to bed.” Asami replied nonchalantly, turning her attention to wherever she was. Korra assumed she was walking home.

Her assumption was proved true when she heard the sound of rattling keys and a lock clicking.

Asami came inside the cottage, the warm orange of the inside filling Korra’s screen, shaking her head and practically drying her hair like a dog. Korra was about to say something, but Asami beat her to it.

“ _Siccus._ ”

A vroom of air seemed to whisk past her, and when Korra next blinked, Asami was dry. As if she’d never been outside. She let out a small puff of air, moving a strand of hair out of her eyes, before smiling shyly at Korra.

“Anyway,” She smiled. “Hey.”

“…Hi.”

“Do you feel ill or something? Your cheeks look rather pink?”

“It’s just cold in here.” Korra mumbled, turning over in the bed. “I’m pretty tired.”

“Do you want me to go?” Asami frowned.

“No.”

“No?”

Korra shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

“Okay, then I’ll stay.” Asami said. “But I’m afraid if you’re not up for much talking, I’m just going to do some work on my sketches.”

“No problem with me.” Korra yawned, settling into her sheet. “Tell me about the labs, actually.”

“Are you going to fall asleep on me?”

“Maybe. Is that an issue, Love Witch?”

The grin Asami was wearing told Korra that it wasn’t, and apparently neither was the nickname.

Green eyes scanned the room – presumably Asami’s bedroom, and Korra was about to ask what she was looking for, except Asami had obviously found it, her eyes lighting up as she strolled over. Korra listened to the soft thumps of her feet on the carpet as if they were the melody of her favourite song. Mecha came onto the frame for a split second, and she kissed the cat’s ear, whispering something before setting him down.

Korra couldn’t help but think of how she’d done more or less the same thing that morning. Of how, maybe, they’d kissed the same spot on his tiny furry head.

There was a crackle in the picture on Korra’s phone, but the next clear image was Asami sat down at her desk. She was pulling her hair into a ponytail, her eyes scrutinising the piece of paper in front of her.

“Well,” She began, pulling a pen from somewhere behind the camera. “The lab was really busy today, so I hardly got anything done. I’m not even meant to be there, since I’m technically a business major. But they don’t have to know that. It’s not like anybody asks.” Her pencil, that had previously been rested between her parted red lips, came down and started sketching on the piece of paper in front of her, and Korra wanted to ask her what she was doing, but she also wanted to just listen. “So I’ve got to work on these sketches now. The quiet it easier to work in. It probably won’t take too long anyway, but it’s a little tiring.”

And as if to accentuate her point, she let out the most adorable yawn Korra had ever seen.

Asami looked up at the camera, blinking curiously. “You already fall asleep?”

“No, not yet. Keep talking.” Korra said, pulling the cover more tightly over her body.

Asami went on and on, and Korra tried to listen – she actually did, surprisingly – but eventually exhaustion overtook her and she passed out. The call had ended when she woke up, but that didn’t bother her, not when there was another lot of flowers waiting for her on the doorstep.

“ _Can I walk Naga with you_?”

Korra almost dropped the phone.

It was that afternoon, and Korra had finished the playlist in its entirety and had decided to call Asami, just so she could review it verbally. Not a facetime call, though. Korra wasn’t in the mood to brush her hair or apply concealer.

(Not that she’d need to do that for Asami.)

She’d been watching the rain outside, Naga desperately whining at her lap, and she’d figured, why not give herself some entertainment whilst she braved this walk? It was the sensible thing to do. When she’d told Asami of her predicament, she hadn’t expected the girl to offer to come with her.

“But you hate dogs?” Korra pointed out.

“ _I don’t hate Naga_.” Asami said simply, and Korra felt herself smile.

“Sure, you can come.”

“ _Be there in ten_.”

She arrived in five, wearing a red overcoat, her hair tied in a neat ponytail. Korra liked the scarf she was wearing – white and black checked. It suited her complexion.

“You look pretty.” She said, and Asami blushed down at her. Sometimes Korra forgot how tall the woman was – she was probably almost six foot, or something. A witch thing, no doubt.

“How far do you walk her?” Asami asked, peering over her shoulder to look at Naga. Naga was sat obediently at the door, tongue out, waiting for Korra to clip on her leash and for them to head out.

“We just go play in the park for a bit, usually. I doubt I’ll bring a ball today though.” She added, peering over Asami’s shoulder and the grey overcast.

“The park down the road?”

“Mhm. Let’s go, girl.” Korra bent down, clicking the collar into place and affectionately scrubbing the dog’s head. “You too, _girl_.” She said to Asami, who smiled and shook her head as if Korra had actually said something funny.

The walk was pleasant, and the rain had eased up. It was barely even spitting, and Korra thought the way the water droplets hung to Asami’s ponytail was magical, like little diamonds amongst the black tresses, so she was having a nice time. Nicer than her usual walks with Naga at this time of year, anyway.

“Did Naga come with you from the South?” Asami asked. She walked around a puddle, touching Korra with the whole length of her side as she did.

“Yup.” Korra grinned, trying to keep her eyes forward as they turned into the park. She bent down and unclipped Naga, letting the dog run free into the park. She was well-behaved, so she was always in Korra’s line of sight, but she knew the dog liked to run around and she was never _not_ going to let her.

“She’s really cute.” Asami said, her eyes trailing the dog as it bounded after a small woodland critter. Possibly a squirrel, Korra couldn’t tell.

Still knelt on her knees, she looked up at Asami, past her boots and coat and perfectly primmed hair, and at the blush in her cheeks, the shine of her eyes.

“Yeah. She is.”

Asami turned down to her, and her eyebrows lined with concern.

“What?” Korra asked, standing up so that they were (almost) at eye-level.

Without warning, cool fingers were pressed to Korra’s forehead. “You look a little feverish. Very pink in the face.” She observed, withdrawing her hand. “But you feel fine.”

Korra wondered if Asami was teasing her, if this was some ploy to make Korra fall in love with her all over again – the soft touches, the smile, those eyes. If it was, it was certainly working. But the genuine concern on Asami’s features told Korra that that wasn’t the case. That she seriously didn’t know that Korra was _blushing_ because Asami was ridiculously, preposterously, stupidly adorable.

(Which, by the way, was majorly embarrassing, so Korra was pretty glad that Asami was oblivious.)

“Let’s go then.” Korra said, and bravely, crazily, recklessly, she slotted her and Asami’s hands together. For a second, the taller woman froze in place, and Korra wondered if she’d gone too far, if she’d misread the signs, but after another moment Asami relaxed, squeezing her palm against Korra’s.

“Okay, let’s go.”

They walked for a little while, and Asami would throw her head back with laughter every time Naga brought something up to show Korra. First, it was a rock. Then a huge stick, practically half a tree, and afterwards she even brought a mouse, like she was a goddam _cat._ Korra knew Naga was doing it to impress Asami, since the mutt had taken an extreme liking to the witch, and if it wasn’t for the way Asami was laughing, she might even have scolded the dog. But she didn’t, because Asami’s laugh was magnetic, and in that moment, she could let taming her dog slide for just a moment.

“She’s usually better trained.” Korra mumbled, and Asami, who’s hand was still latched firmly in Korra’s, giggled and shook her head.

“I thought she’d be scarier than she is.”

“Am I creating a new breed of non-dog-fearing witch?” Korra asked with a grin.

“Could be.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll get one. A puppy, to be friends with Mecha.”

“That would be cute.” Korra said, thinking about the small black kitten, sleeping in Naga’s warm fur. Those two would definitely be friends. “So, how do familiars work? Mecha _is_ your familiar, right?”

“Mhm. Mecha is mine. They’re spirits that take the form of animals, and reflect your current magical status. So, stronger witches have like _lions_ , and stuff.” She laughed, but Korra could see the slight bitterness in her voice. It was no secret to her that Asami wasn’t the _greatest_ of witches, and with her mother being a Great One, it was easy to see why that would affect her. “But I think Mecha’s been getting a bit bigger recently.”

“Maybe he’ll end up like a panther or something.”

Asami frowned. “I don’t even know if I’d want that.”

“Why not? It would be epic! Plus, we could take him on dates like this, with Naga, and…” Korra froze mid-step. Did she seriously just say the _d word?_

The only semblance that Asami had heard her, was the newfound red in her cheeks. Korra hoped it was from the cold.

Speaking of the cold, the rain had suddenly started up again. She didn’t know whether to be thankful for the interruption, or angry because of her ruined blouse. Korra had noticed it a few steps back, but it had gone from big slow droplets of water, hardly leaving a mark on them, to tiny bullets of sleet.

“We need to run!” She yelled to Asami, as the sleet turned to hail. It had happened so quickly that Korra could hardly believe it. She should have checked the weather report.

“Let’s run!” Asami yelled back. They couldn’t really hear each other over the tempestuous weather. Korra, hand still in Asami’s (hand always in Asami’s), pulled the girl, and they ran. Ran and ran and ran, and it rained and rained and rained, and they finally stopped on the inside of a willow tree. There was a bench there, but it was soaked through.

Only tiny splutters of rain got through the thick branches, and after all of that running, Korra finally let go of Asami’s hand. She looked up at the girl. Her makeup was completely wiped off, leaving bare cheeks and bare lips and bright open green eyes. The usually shiny hair was now pushed back, as she wrung out her ponytail, and her clothes were clinging to her skin under her felt coat.

To anyone else, she might look a mess, but Korra couldn’t help but think she liked Asami like that. Unfiltered; honest.

“What?” Asami asked, noticing Korra’s eyes on her, “You’re red again. Korra, I think you’ve got a fever or something, so we should go to the human hospital, because you were—”

Korra grabbed Asami by the scarf, the scarf that she’d liked so much, grabbed it with everything she had and with the material sopping into her hands, and pulled the girl’s lips down to her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY THIS IS LATE!!!! i really wanted to get this out in two weeks so i'm as mad at me as u are :(
> 
> Either way, I hope u liked this chapter. I'm still aiming to update on tuesday, but this week is possibly going to be the most stressful of my ENTIRE LIFE (okay, well maybe not my entiiiire life, but still!) so i'm honestly not sure. also, tuesday is my bday. so again, i may be //busy//. sorry if it's late!
> 
> i love all of u for reading this, by the way. stay strong this october my loves <3


	14. HOW TO KISS A WITCH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO ALL READERS PRESENT AND FUTURE!
> 
> [pls pls pls answer this anonymous poll!](https://www.opinionstage.com/bisexualyoda/which-one-would-you-rather-read-in-a-korrasami-college-au-fanfiction)
> 
> it takes ten seconds and i'm having a creative crisis so it could really help

Kissing Korra was like a warm beach. It felt that way, even under a willow tree in the aftermath of pouring ice-rain. Asami felt comfortable, and relaxed, and like she’d been wanting to do this for her entire life. Their lips fit together perfectly, hands found homeland on the other’s body, and everything was peaceful. And for once, for _once_ , she didn’t have to fear that Korra didn’t really want this, because Korra had kissed her.

Korra had kissed her.

“Mmph…” She mumbled into the kiss, and Korra took a step forward, pushing Asami’s back into the bark of tree. She didn’t mind. In fact, she liked it. She wrapped her arms around Korra’s lower back and pulled her in closer. Korra smiled against the kiss, and Asami liked that too. Opening her mouth, she allowed Korra to deepen the kiss, which the shorter girl did willingly, sliding her tongue in with ease and precision, as if it was made to do it. The warmth of the kiss was delicious compared to the cold in the air, and Asami felt Korra’s hands trail to the underneath of her chest, fingers frisking her upper ribcage.

Was she going to…?

“Can I?” Her voice was low and gruff, both needy and demanding, and she looked up at Asami with pupils so large they were almost black. Asami was thrilled to know that it wasn’t from the love potion. But what was she asking? Could she what?

_Oh._

“Yes.” She breathed, unable to focus on anything else but the way the word hung in the air, and all that it meant.

Korra smiled, leaning in to reclaim Asami’s lips, when—

“ _Woof! Rrr… Woof!”_

Asami had almost forgotten about Naga, but there the snowy dog was, standing right behind Korra and looking at the two of them expectantly. She had a curious glint in her eyes, as if she knew she was interrupting something – which was impossible, because she was literally a domestic pet.

 _More like a domestic cockblock_.

Korra’s hands froze in mid-air, blue eyes meeting green. “Are you _kidding?_ ” She hissed, separating herself from the witch. Asami smiled fondly, shrugging away her disappointment, moving so that they were still stood close to each other. Korra got the hint and took her hand.

“Come on, we should go back.” Korra pulled the two of them forward, peering at the sky before calling Naga to follow them. The smell of rain was fresh in the air, and Asami liked it; for the first time in a long time, the smell wasn’t accompanied with a shred of doubt or guilt.

 _You’re still guilty_ , the voice whispered. And she knew she was, but maybe it didn’t have to be so catastrophic if Korra forgave her. If Korra forgave her, and _stayed_ with her, then maybe she could forgive herself, too.

“You okay?” Korra asked. Asami hadn’t noticed she was being watched.

“I’m fine.” Asami smiled. “Just thinking.”

Korra squeezed her hand, before guiding her a little quicker out of the park. “It’s cold, and I’m hungry.” She explained, as if she was worried that Asami thought she wanted to get rid of her, before stopping mid-step. She turned back to Asami, sheepishly. “Would you, uhm, like to stay for dinner?”

“Dinner?” Asami asked dumbly. “It’s like, two in the afternoon.”

Korra’s face fell. “Yeah, I don’t know why I suggested it, it was—”

Asami cut her off, pulling Korra closer to her frame again, immediately feeling their body heats seep together. “Of course I’ll stay, don’t be silly.” And to punctuate her point, she pressed a kiss to Korra’s darkened cheek. The girl blushed further, looking away and smiling her small and shy smile, and Asami wanted to kiss her all over again, only with Korra pressed up against the tree this time.

It was then her turn to drag Korra out of the park, and so she did, eager to be in the warmth of Korra’s apartment with the shorter girl.

Naga was happy to lay down on the couch as soon as she got in, trotting over to the piece of furniture and shooting Korra a lazy nod, as if to say _I’m okay now, go deal with her_. Both Korra and Asami laughed at the ridiculous dog. It really was like she could read Korra’s mind.

“What do you want to do now? Before dinner, I mean?” Asami asked, turning to Korra. The girl grinned at her, showing off an impressively white set of teeth.

“Let’s watch a mover. I haven’t watched a good one in ages. Bolin always makes us watch _docu-movers_.” Korra started rambling, almost as if she was talking to herself, as she walked over to the front of the television and started messing with the remote. “I mean honestly, who watches docu-movers outside of a tenth grade classroom? They’re not even interesting topics. He has some okay ones about witches, but sometimes it’s about the dumbest stuff. Like _geology_. Nobody in their right mind wants to watch a three hour mover about rocks. Nobody. Probably not even _The Boulder._ ”

Asami perched on the seat next to Korra. “You don’t like geology?”

“It’s like geography but minus the good stuff.” Korra sniffed. “Aha! I thought this had been released. Do you want to watch it?”

Korra had the TV hovered over a comedy, and Asami shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

The movie was funny, but also not Asami’s biggest concern – instead, she kept looking over at Korra, to see if the shorter girl would laugh at the jokes. Sometimes it was just a puff of air through her nose, or a slight chuckle, but one of the jokes – and Asami was _sure_ it was chicken-related – had Korra bawling her eyes out with laughter, so much so that even Asami started laughing properly as well. She forgot how funny Korra was, along with everything else.

“That was _so_ funny.” Korra laughed at the end, taking out her phone. “I knew it would be. The creators of those films always nail it. I need to text Bo and—" She stopped abruptly. Her face fell into a morose expression.

“What?”

“It’s Bo.” Korra said, standing up quickly. “He’s been in a car accident.”

“He… _What?_ ” Asami stood up too. “Which hospital? Let’s go.”

“It was that girl Mako’s dating. Apparently she was as the wheel, messing around on the roads and…” Korra trailed off, her eyes widening at whatever message she was reading. “He’s in surgery. He went in an hour ago, though, and it’s only a small procedure so he’ll be getting out soon.” Korra growled in frustration, throwing her phone at the couch. ” _I should have checked my phone_.”

Korra’s face screwed up in frustration, and Asami stepped forward, locking her hands tightly onto the human’s shoulders, pressing her fingers into the firm muscle there.

“This isn’t your fault. You were watching a mover. Do you have a broom?”

“Yeah, but—What?”

“It will be quicker. They’re at RC infirmary, right?”

“I… Yes, but—”

“Then c’mon.” Asami scanned around the room, her eyes landing on a broomstick – Kuvira’s broomstick – perched against a wall. “What are the chances?” She muttered, striding over to it. “We can get dinner after, but for now…”

“Okay.” Korra nodded, following a broomstick-equipped Asami out of their apartment. Asami was going to use the elevator, but the window was so large, and so dangerously creaky that it almost certainly opened without the need for a crowbar (or a spell), and she wanted Korra to be there for her friend as quickly as she could be, so what was there to lose?

She flung the window open, clambering onto the stick. Kuvira rode a little heavier than her, but it wasn’t too drastic. Patting to the place in front of her, she showed Korra where to sit.

“Are you coming?”

“Yeah.” Korra threw her legs over, and immediately Asami wrapped one arm tightly around Korra’s waist, pulling the girl flush against her.

“Is this okay?” She asked.

Korra let out a shuddered breath. “S’fine. We need to go.”

“On it.” Asami pushed off with her feet, channelling as much magic as she could into that first initial push. The window was large enough that they didn’t have to duck, and after a second they were hit by the cold night air and the twinkle of faraway stars. As pretty as it was (and as pretty as Korra looked underneath said stars), Asami didn’t have time to lose.

She wanted to do this for Korra, so she did.

In the car, it would have taken them nearly twenty minutes to get there, what with the traffic at night, and the winding city layout of RC, but on the broom, in the clear night air, it took less than a minute. They only saw one other witch on the way, and she zoomed passed them so quickly it was hard to believe she was ever there in the first place.

“There!” Korra yelled, pointing to the white building in the very centre of the city. Asami tightened her hold on Korra, to avoid another falling incident, and angled the broom lower, towards the white architecture. She pulled the broom to a stop above the hospital, and descended quickly; although swoop landings were quicker, if she got the trajectory wrong… Well, it would be lucky she’d be divebombing into a _hospital_ , but that would be the last lucky thing about it.

“Come on.” Korra grabbed her hand, pulling Asami into the building, before she’d even had time to properly lock Kuvira’s broom to the broom stand. Where their hands touched, sparks flew, but Asami ignored them as best as she could. There wasn’t time for that. Not right then, anyway.

The nurse at the front desk was more than a little put-off from their dishevelled state, but after Korra practically had a meltdown in the lobby (it was endearing how much she loved her friend), he let them through to Bolin’s room.

Opal, Mako, a pretty girl with deep red lips and redder hair – probably Mako’s movie star girlfriend, Ginger – and a witch that Asami didn’t recognise, were all sat in various places around the room. Mako stared broodingly out of the window, with his usual tortured soul expression; Ginger was sat resting on his knees, playing with her hands absently; Opal paced up and down the room, casting glances over to Bolin’s unconscious form. The witch – who Asami guessed must have been his girlfriend from the Northern Water Tribe, the one that Korra didn’t like very much – was sat with him, clutching his hand tightly.

“Can I help you?” She asked, and for a second, Asami was unsure why the witch was saying that to Bolin, until she realised she was speaking to them – she just hadn’t looked up. Which was… Creepy.

“Eska, it’s me. Korra.” Korra rushed to Bolin’s side, staring intently at her friend’s face. “How is he?”

“Ah. Korra. You are his friend, still? He is recovering, and stable.” Eska spoke monotonously, not at all like someone who’s boyfriend had just been in a car accident, and was now hospitalised. Maybe she was just like that.

Mako was looking at Asami in a way that made her deeply uncomfortable, his eyes ripe with hidden meaning, but she didn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t the place. Plus, his girlfriend, who on closer inspection, was filing her nails, was right there. Didn’t she _cause_ this accident?

“What happened here?” She asked Opal. The human girl turned to her, and before Asami even realised it, she was bent over and wrapped in her arms.

“Thank you for bringing Korra.” She muffled against Asami’s collarbone. “Thank you so much.”

Asami awkwardly patted the human girl’s head. “…There, there.”

Opal looked up at her blankly for a moment, before bursting out into laughter. “You’re weird.” She said, and it didn’t even feel like an insult.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything.” Opal turned, casting a glare at an oblivious Ginger. “For once, this isn’t your fault.”

“It was her then? She was at the wheel?”

“That’s what I thought but, no. Mako was, she just wouldn’t leave him alone. Pestering him or some shit. He drove straight off the highway, they hit a tree, and since Bolin was the only one on that side of the car…”

“How bad was it?”

“I wasn’t there at the crash, but Mako said he thought Bolin was fine, was milking the pain for attention, whatever. They came here just in case, and he was filled with internal bleeding. Had to go straight into surgery.”

“But he’ll be okay?”

Opal’s mouth turned upwards slightly. “Hopefully. As long as he wakes up.”

“And…” Asami frowned. “If he doesn’t?”

“Let’s just hope he does…” She trailed off, her eyes scanning up and down Asami’s body. It didn’t feel totally hostile. “You know. I might have been wrong about you, Asami. Maybe you’ll be good to Korra.”

“Do you think she’ll let me?” Asami asked. Korra was muttering something sharp to Eska, who didn’t react.

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off.

“ _Bolin! Oh my god!_ ”

Both Opal and Asami whipped around to the hospital bed, where Korra was holding Bolin tightly in her arms. The boy’s eyes were opened, circling the room, before turning back to Korra.

“I didn’t think heaven would look like this.” He said in a weak and broken voice. Everyone laughed.

“Thank you for taking me to Bolin today. You didn’t have to.” Korra said quietly.

They were back in the cottage, after a whole palaver at the hospital. Mako had wanted to take Bolin with him, kept saying all these noble – and completely artificial – things about being his brother, and fulfilling that duty. Opal had wanted Bolin to go back to the apartment, because it was the closest to the hospital, and most of his stuff was there, but she eventually relented and said Bolin could go with Mako to his girlfriend’s if Mako really really wanted him to. The girlfriend in question, however, insisted that she couldn’t have sick people in her house, and even though everyone had explained very clearly (and multiple times) that Bolin wasn’t contagiously ill, she wouldn’t budge.

So, in the end, Mako had said he’d accompany Bolin to the apartment, and Korra still wasn’t ready to spend a night in the same place as him. So, Mako was taking Opal’s bed, Opal was taking hers, and Korra had to sleep somewhere else. That meant there was only one place she could really go.

“Of course I had to. Your friend was in surgery. And we can do dinner any day.” Asami shrugged. She was finally getting around to doing the washing up – with a little magical help of course – and Korra was sat on a kitchen stool watching her.

“Still. I appreciate it. Appreciate you.”

“Thanks.” Asami blushed.

Korra stood up, following her around the counter, and placed her hands on Asami’s hips. She leaned upwards, pressing her lips to the taller girl’s ear.

“Let me show you how much.”

“Korra…” Asami let out a soft sigh. “I need to finish this.”

“You don’t _need_ to do anything.” Korra whispered, running her hands down her thighs and back up. Asami’s skin tingled, and her resolve was quickly falling apart.

She turned around, placed both her hands on Korra’s cheeks, and kissed her. At first, the kiss was light, playful, and Korra began placing smaller kisses on the corner of the witch’s mouth. As much as Asami liked that, it wasn’t what she needed. She took Korra’s bottom lip under her teeth, causing the shorter girl to groan, before taking a step forward and pushing her against the breakfast bar.

Hands tangled themselves in her loose hair, and Korra opened her mouth, inviting Asami to slide her tongue right in. The muscles brushed each other softly, reminding themselves of one another, and when Korra let out a soft moan, Asami couldn’t hold back anymore.

She ripped her own shirt from her body, dropping it the floor, watching in delight as Korra’s eyes bulged at the newly exposed skin.

“I almost forgot about that.” She breathed.

“See something you like?”

“Mm…” Korra’s eyes were dark and lidded, and she didn’t wait before lunging froward, trapping Asami in her arms and pulling her into another searing kiss. Where their lips touched, fire spread, and it circuited all the way around Asami’s body, palms pressing against the flesh of her chest. Everything was comfortably warm and unbearably hot, all at the same time, and she found herself sat on the breakfast bar, hands snaking under her shorts, rubbing her thighs, before coming back up and brushing over her ribs. How could something be overwhelming, and yet nowhere near enough?

As much as she liked Korra under her – and wow, she really did – she would much prefer it if she had a little more control. Korra might have been stronger than her due to countless hours in the gym, but Asami had something that Korra didn’t, a birth right that wasn’t bestowed onto humans.

Asami had magic.

“ _Movere deinceps.”_ She whispered against Korra’s lips, and suddenly the girl was pushed backwards by a glittering force of light, pressed against the kitchen counter next to the stove. She let out a gasp of surprise, her eyes widening. The taller witch shortened the gap between them, this time towering over Korra, and began to place kisses down Korra’s neck to the top of her shirt. “Can I take this off?” She asked lowly.

All Korra could do was let out a little shuddery nod, her hands desperately grasping at Asami’s back. The tides of lust had changed so quickly.

“Ignis.”

Korra’s top burnt to a crisp on her torso, and Asami rubbed off the tiny particles of ash that remained. The human girl’s eyes were still widened, more so than before, staring from Asami back to her torso. Her finely sculpted, muscular torso. Asami gulped.

Carefully, as though she were touching a mosaic in a museum, Asami trailed her fingers down Korra’s abdominal muscles. They contracted and relaxed under her touch, as Korra panted, in and out, tight and loose.

“Wow…” She breathed. Sure, she’d been with muscular guys before, but this was different. Alongside the abs, was curvature, and softness. Asami’s fingers dragged through the slight sheen of sweat from the top of her navel to the bottom.

“See something you like?” Korra repeated Asami’s words from earlier, and Asami’s face broke out into a wide grin. Despite the sweat, and the heat, and the tension, Korra was still Korra. And for that night at least, Asami was going to make sure she was _her_ Korra.

“I do.” She praised, kissing Korra’s collarbone again, only this time, she kept descending, all the way to the human’s loose bralette. It didn’t do a very good job of keeping her breasts hidden – Asami was sure she could make out the shape perfectly through the thin white fabric. Her eyes shot up to Korra, who was breathy and flushed, staring down at her with those sky-blue eyes, dilated with lust and need. The human gave a short nod, and instead of pulling off the bralette over Korra’s head, Asami yanked it down, the breasts falling out and onto her abdomen.

“Oh…” Korra sucked in a sharp breath of air. Asami smirked at her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, before kissing down the canyon in the middle of Korra’s bust. She’d never wanted to leave a mark on someone before – why claim something that was already so wholly hers? – but with Korra, she couldn’t resist. It wasn’t about claiming either. It was about belonging; she belonged to Korra, and this was how she had to show it.

Red marks formed under her mouth, and Asami kissed and licked the spots most affected, all whilst Korra breathed and groaned underneath her.

“You’re so needy…” She teased, and Korra let out a whimper. The sweet sound really did it for Asami, and she couldn’t wait any longer. Her hands fondled with Korra’s breasts for only a second, pulling one closer to her mouth and running her tongue over the stiff nipple, lightly at first. Korra buckled, already so worked up, and Asami grinned as she let out a groan of relief.

After another few slick strokes of her tongue, Asami pushed her whole mouth around the dark brown peak, and smiled as Korra pushed her chest forward, trying to impossibly give Asami more of her. Asami was familiar with this part of girl on girl action, being close with Kuvira for so many years, but she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t nervous for the next part, especially when she felt Korra shrugging her baggy shorts down from her own hips.

“Don’t need this…” She muttered, shooting a meaningful look at Asami. Green eyes blazed over dark brown skin, over tight stomach muscles, following the V-shaped line that led to a dark patch of hair, that in turn, led to…

“Oh.” She let out a short breath. Korra wasn’t wearing any underwear, and Asami could see everything. _Everything_. It wasn’t as daunting as she’d expected it to be. It was just there, waiting for her, petalled open in expectation. She could see a small and reddened bead poking from out of a hood of skin. Without thinking about it, her mouth moving straight back to Korra’s breasts, she lifted the hood with her fingers, and used her thumb to draw circles around Korra’s clit.

It was a lot like her own body, in some ways. Different places made Korra groan and moan, but the actual motion and theory behind it was the same. Asami liked it. Liked that she could make Korra’s grip on her back tighten, could make Korra bite into Asami’s shoulder, trying to stifle her noises.

“Be as loud as you want.” She ordered Korra. Her dad was staying in the city that night; they had the whole place to themselves. Korra gave Asami a look as if to say, _I’m not being that loud_ , but when Asami’s thumb made another turn around Korra’s most sensitive area, she let out a yelp of delight, folding back under Asami’s touch.

“Shut up.” She growled, grinding into Asami’s hand. Asami smiled at the pretty human.

“I love you.”

The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them, and by result, everything seemed to freeze. Korra, still blushed and sweating and breathing heavily, paused, her eyes darting to Asami’s face, her own mouth parting in shock. Asami’s hand stilled. There was a moment that connected them, blue eyes meeting green, and for a second Asami thought she was going to push her away.

But she didn’t. Instead, she grabbed Asami roughly by the back of her neck and crushed their lips together. It wasn’t quite an _I love you too_ , but instead, it was almost better. It was Korra saying that she would love her back one day, and for now, she just needed her to stay. That she was understood.

“I suppose that’s only fair. It’s like we’re even.” Korra breathed after another second, and Asami let out a shrill laugh – one she’d never made before. “Now… I’m pretty sure you were doing something.”

Korra grabbed Asami’s wrist, guiding her hand back to the between of her legs. Asami was ready to carry on, but Korra’s hand didn’t stop, and soon the tips of her fingers were poking a familiar band of muscle, one she’d only ever felt on herself before.

“I’ve never…” She whispered, and Korra giggled, kissing her lips again.

“I’ll show you.” Was all she said, before spreading her legs a little wider for Asami, giving her a perfect view of toned thighs. She placed her hand on top of Asami’s, grabbing her first two fingers, and lining them up with her entrance.

Asami wasn’t sure what she expected the inside of Korra to feel like. She had never actually done this to herself for many years – always keeping on the outside when masturbating, where it was more comfortable and easier for her to get off. But as her long fingers sank into the warm and wet velvet of Korra, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d felt this good for all the people she’d been with. It was as though the muscles inside Korra were urging her deeper, and it was all she could do but follow through with their request.

“Oh, yeah…” Korra groaned into her ear, sending a shiver down Asami’s spine. “That’s good.”

She pulled Asami’s hand out, slowly, and for a second, Asami thought she’d done something wrong, before shoving it back in again much harder. Korra keeled over, leaning on Asami instead of the counter for support.

“Do it like that.” She demanded, and Asami followed suit, using one hand to grab the soft flesh of Korra’s hip, and the other to push in and out of her, marvelling as Korra became tighter and tighter, louder and louder.

She found a spot on Korra’s front wall that _really_ drove the girl crazy, the human’s nails digging so sharply into her back it was a miracle if it didn’t scar. Not that Asami could care. She wanted everything of Korra’s, even scars from her hands. Korra was _hers_ , as much as she was Korra’s, and she didn’t care if she had to spend the rest of her life proving that to the shorter girl.

“Oh _fuck_ Asami!” Korra was thrusting her hips down onto Asami’s hand, riding it, wetness spilling over Asami’s knuckle and down her wrist. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.” She repeated like a mantra, even though Asami was hardly doing anything.

Suddenly, Korra went rigid, throwing her head onto Asami’s shoulder, and letting out a series of cuss words that she never thought she’d hear Korra say all at once, and which were unbelievably and undeniably hot. The wetness on Asami’s fingers multiplied, and she slowed down her motions as the muscles inside Korra contracted less and less.

“Are you okay?” She asked softly, and Korra pulled back, Asami’s hands sliding out of her and she smiled at the witch. Her lips were red, her face was darker than usual, her pupils were still enlarged. If Asami had to pick just one word to describe her, she would pick _raw_.

“I am.” She whispered, kissing Asami again. Her lips were softer then, but still unforgiving, dragging Asami’s bottom lip into her mouth and visibly enjoying the way Asami shuddered. “You sure that was your first time with a girl?” Korra asked with a smile. “You and Kuvira never practised, or something?”

Asami wrinkled her nose at that thought. “Absolutely not.”

Korra giggled, kissing Asami again. And again. And again. “I don’t want to stop this. Ever.” She whispered, and Asami’s heart practically soared.

“Then don’t.” Asami said, trying to catch as many of Korra’s kisses as possible.

“Buuuut…” Korra sighed, standing up off of Asami, and intertwining their fingers together. “We should go to sleep. I’m kind of tired.”

“You’ll sleep in my bed?” Asami asked.

Korra turned to her curiously.

“I mean, you’ll sleep next to me?” She clarified, her cheeks heating.

“Duh.”

And so she did. And then again the next night, and the night after that, and for all the nights that followed. Needless to say, they both made the other catastrophically happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like in this universe, eska and korra aren't cousins. or maybe they just don't KNOW they're cosuins. either way, it's just a bit of trivia and isn't relevant to the plot.
> 
> there is an epilogue, but if you've read this far, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!!! i love u and have the best day that u can


	15. EPILOGUE

“And this is the person you’re seeing?” Tonraq asked. Asami gulped. The man wasn’t at all like Korra had described – she’d been expecting a fun-loving polar bear of a man, with terrible dad jokes and tight hugs, but he was actually far closer to a hostile grizzly bear, with his stoic features and furrowed brow. And a severe lack of dad jokes.

“Yeah, this is my, uh, girlfriend. Asami.” Korra pushed Asami forward slightly by the small of her back.

“Hi.” It came out as a squeak, and immediately Tonraq’s expression softened, as did the thump in Asami’s chest. He pulled her into a strong embrace, awkwardly patting her on the back. It took her a second, but Asami hugged him back.

“She’s pretty, Korra. Don’t ruin it.” Tonraq said once he’d let her go.

“I won’t.” Korra shot Asami a sly smile, one that Asami returned.

“Now come on, your mother will want to meet her too.” Tonraq headed into the cabin that the older couple were renting. It was pretty, with a telling trail of smoke coming from the chimney, and it wasn’t far at all from the city-centre, so Korra was being forced to come see them every day. Tonight, she was even staying the night with them. As was Asami.

(Which she wasn’t freaking out about.)

(Not at all.)

(Nope. Totally cool about it. Yup.)

Korra’s parents, as they’d always intended to, visited Korra that break whilst she stayed in the city. Asami hadn’t expected to be meeting the parents – nor had she expected for Korra to frantically ask her to be her girlfriend the night before, with about a hundred red camellias and a cup of coffee with her number written on it (which Asami thought was a little distasteful, considering the origins of that gift, yet still cute) – but she wasn’t unhappy about any of it.

In fact, she was deeply, deliciously, thrilled about all of it. Which was scary in itself, because Asami didn’t do girlfriends. She hadn’t even done _girls_ before Korra.

But as she was looking at the curve of Korra’s waist as she leant over, looking at an old picture of her as a child, her nose scrunched adorably, her eyes bright and inviting Asami to come over, Asami was sure she’d been an idiot to _not_ do girls. Because girls were awesome. At least, Korra was.

“You were _so cute_.” Asami gasped, picking up the frame and turning it over in her hands. “Look at your chubby cheeks.”

“Hey! Put that down!” Korra moaned, wearing her cutest pout, and reluctantly Asami relented, pinching Korra on the cheek.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Honey.”

“Oh, you’re just like an old married couple!” A soft and friendly voice came from down the corridor. Asami looked up to see a thinly-framed woman peering down, who looked almost identical to Korra, but with a little less meat on her bones. “Asami, come here at once. Let me have a look at you.”

Despite her imperative choice of words, the softly spoken voice was amiable and welcoming, and Asami found herself being tugged along the well-decorated corridor (did Korra’s parents really decorate their Airbnb?) and into a small kitchen. Senna was wearing an apron, and immediately Asami noticed the washing in the sink and the faint buzz of a working oven.

“It’s lovely to meet you.” She greeted, and Senna’s pretty smile widened.

“And it’s lovely to meet you too! I trust you’re not vegetarian? Korra has been so secretive about you.” She shot her daughter a mockingly scolding look, and Korra just shrugged, resting her hand on Asami’s waist.

“She’s not vegetarian.” Korra said confidently. Asami giggled, if only to suppress to sigh that wanted to leave her mouth just from Korra’s warm palm on her hip. She couldn’t do that in front of Korra’s _mom_.

“I’m making something from back home, you see. Korra’s favourite.”

“Squid pancakes?” Asami asked, peering over Senna’s shoulder.

If it was possibly, the woman’s face seemed to soften even further.

“My mistake. Her second favourite.”

“Can I help?” Asami asked, and Senna nodded, directing her to cut and dice some of the vegetables on the side. Korra was dismissed, sent to her help her father do whatever father and daughter did after not seeing each other for a long time (according to Senna, _fishing_ , which was perverse to Asami).

Whilst they prepared the evening meal, Asami and Senna chatted. At one point, when Asami had casually brought up not having a mom, Senna dropped what she was doing and pulled the far taller woman into a hug. Asami had forced the tears stinging her eyes to go back down, at least for their first meeting. She needed Senna to like her, before she could start crying on her.

“You know, when Korra said you were a witch,” Senna said thoughtfully, moving a dish to the top of the oven. “We had no idea what to expect. I thought maybe you’d be one of those stiff types, the ones that work for the city.”

Asami nodded. “I have a few friends like that, but I’m just trying to get my business degree. And then work with my dad.”

“Future Industries, right?” Senna asked. Asami nodded. “Good to know you’ll be able to support our daughter when not a damn employer in the city wants her lazy ass.”

There was a lot to unpack there. To start with, the implication of Asami _supporting_ Korra, was very much domestic and although Asami wanted that (which again, super scary, because she actually _did_ want that), they’d been girlfriends for approximately eighteen hours, and Asami didn’t know if she was read for that just yet. Secondly, Senna knew about Future Industries, even from all the way down at the South Pole, which made Asami’s heart swell with an unforgiving bit of narcissism. Thirdly, Senna was _funny_.

“You were either going to be a boring desk job witch,” Senna continued. “Or a complete bitch. Pardon my language. One of those prissy types. She sent us a picture, you see, and not many witches look like you, do they?”

“No, I… I am very lucky, in that department.” Asami acknowledged. “And once upon a time, I probably was uptight like that. But Korra… She helped. Changed me for the better. She’s a really kind soul.”

_A really kind soul? What does that mean?_

Senna snorted. “She’s a real something, that’s for sure.”

“You talking about me?” Korra popped her head through the door. Her hair was a mess, raggedy and tangled, with a small branch sticking out behind her ear. Seriously, how had she ended up like that? Asami rushed forward, fingering through the biggest knots.

Korra blushed, thanking her quietly.

“Jesus, Korra, from one mother to the next.” Senna said with a roll of her eyes. “Asami, dear, don’t bother. She’ll just go make herself dirty again. And while her woman is working in the kitchen, no less. I didn’t raise you like that.”

Dropping her head, Korra sighed. “Sorry, Mom.”

“Never mind, Darling.” Senna laughed. “I’m just messing with you. Is your father coming in? I need him to set up the table, and help cut this meat.”

“Oh, I can do the table!” Asami piped in.

“Korra, help her. Thank you so much Asami. You’re a real superstar.”

The shorter girl nudged Asami in the ribs as they walked through to the cabin’s dining room. “How come my mom loves you more than she loves me?”

“Love potion.” Asami said, not missing a beat, and Korra’s mouth dropped open before she burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Tonraq asked. He was as dirty as Korra had been, but this time Asami stayed put.

“Nothing, Dad. Mom wants you, by the way.”

“Ah, shit.” He growled, moving through the dining room and down the corridor to the kitchen.

“Your parents definitely liked me?” Asami whispered into the dark room. She felt a hand tangle with her own, squeezing.

“Yes. If they didn’t, you’d know.” Korra replied, her voice just as quiet. They were intertwined on the comfortable bed in the cabin’s slightly smaller second bedroom. Korra was pressed flat on her back, and Asami was balanced in the crook of her shoulder. She smelled like sea salt, and the cabin smelled like pine wood, and the combination was both relaxing and dizzying.

“My dad already likes you.” Asami said quietly, and she could feel Korra’s smile, even without looking up. “And my mother… She’d have liked you as well. She liked good people.”

“I’m a good person?” Korra asked.

Asami propped herself up on her shoulder, staring down at her girlfriend. They were both dressed thinly in cotton pyjamas and sheets, and she could outline her body with her eyes if she strained. She noticed a tiny patch of dirt that she’d missed earlier on Korra’s cheek, and wetting her thumb, she removed it.

“You’re one of the best, Honey.”

“You’re too nice to me.”

“I’m suitably nice to you.”

Korra leant up, her lips meeting Asami’s in a soft kiss. Asami gasped, the contact surprising her.

(It still surprised her when Korra kissed her. But she was working on it. She was starting to think that she deserved it, at least a little).

“Are you tired?” Korra asked, wrapping her arms around Asami’s waist and pulling the girl down so they were slotted against one another once more. The contact of warm skin on warm skin was delightful, and Asami revelled in the touch. There was something very peaceful about Korra, something very grounding, and in that room, lit only by the pale blue of moonlight, Asami felt it more than ever.

“Not really.”

“Would you like to hear a chicken joke?”

“Also not really.”

“I think you’ll like this one. It’s about cars, too. If we were a joke, it’d be this one.”

Asami groaned, but not loud enough for it to travel outside of the boundaries of their bed. “Fine. If you really must.”

“What’s a chicken’s favourite part of a Satomobile?”

She bit back a smile, feeling her girlfriend’s chest rise and fall beneath her own. They were alive, the two of them, and existing together, their spaces melding comfortably as one.

“…I don’t know.”

“The Egg-celerator!” Korra ended up giggling like an idiot, and, trying as hard as she could not to, Asami couldn’t help but laugh herself. “I knew you’d think it was funny.”

Asami kissed her girlfriend’s cheek. “I’m laughing at you, not with you. Don’t be so smug.”

Korra moved so they were directly facing one another, before smiling that stupidly beautiful lopsided smile. “You’re laughing with me, and you know it.”

The witch bit her lip. “Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Shut up, Korra.”

The look on Korra’s face, even in the darkness, was palpable.

“Make me.” She whispered.

Asami did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it folks! 
> 
> this fic was my lil brain baby that i was mulling over for a few months before i finally decided to just fuck it and write it. i'm glad i did. thank you to everyone that enjoyed it!!! u all mean the world to me, whether u commented or left kudos or whatever. even if ur reading this in like 3020 in ur early-fanfiction section of ur exam paper, I LOVE YOU!
> 
> as always, have the best day you possibly can!
> 
> [my tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bisexualyoda1)
> 
> also, if you want something new to read, by myself:
> 
> [my first she-ra fic!!!!!!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26834704/chapters/65468770)


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